Cannelloni with Ricotta and Baby Spinach

Another Sunday, another marathon day of cooking, this time no music playing in the background. I made three dishes, all of them easy, one-pot suppers. I think winter recipes should be done this way. Throwing everything together in a soup pot or Dutch oven and letting the ingredients slowly cook and develop deep flavors is delicious and the clean up is a cinch. Even after a heavy eating day on Saturday (attending the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival and stuffing my face with fried pierogis at Veselka at 3:00 a.m. after too many gin and tonics) I was still craving filling options.

Today's recipe was inspired by an unopened package of ricotta cheese left over from another recipe (click for the recipe). The ricotta showed no signs of spoiling since the plastic seal had not been opened. I bought some baby spinach and cannelloni and spent some time fighting with the pasta to stuff it. This part of the process was annoying and I kept asking myself "Why did I decide to make this?" but in the end, it was worth it. 

Oh, as a side note, the package of pasta had 14 cannelloni in it. I asked my husband, "Do you think it's enough?" to which he looked at me like I was a pig. "How many do you think you're gonna eat?" he asked. "I don't know. Maybe seven." I barely finished three. 

 

Cannelloni with Ricotta and Baby Spinach

Ingredients:

One pot Basic Tomato Sauce (2 cans of tomatoes are enough for this recipe)

One package cannelloni

One large container ricotta cheese (2 lbs. size)

3 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped (you like the way I measure?)

2 cups grated Parmesan 

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

Once you've made your tomato sauce, let it simmer on low while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Boil a large pot of salted water and add pasta. You want to under-cook the pasta because they will continue to cook in the oven. I cooked mine for about 4-5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside on a plate. Make sure they don't touch as it will be annoying to try to separate them after.

In a large bowl mix together the ricotta, spinach, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper. Make sure the ricotta is cold. It's easier to stuff when it's chilled.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Spread a few tablespoons of tomato sauce on the bottom of a large oven-proof baking dish. 

Now comes the "fun" part. Using a small spoon, fill the cannelloni with the ricotta mixture. Once it's been filled, place the cannelloni in the baking dish. Repeat until they've all been stuffed. You might have some ricotta mixture left over. Get creative with it.  

Pour over the tomato sauce making sure the pasta is evenly covered. Sprinkle on the rest of the Parmesan. Some people may prefer mozzarella, but I prefer the crispy crust the Parmesan makes versus the gooey stringiness of the mozzarella.

Bake in the oven for about 45-55 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes. Serve with a glass of red wine.

Happy cooking!

P.S. What are some recipes you've created with an ingredient just laying around in your fridge or pantry? 

Comments

[Clarkie @ A Runner's Diary]

This looks ridiculously delicious! Oh ricotta cheese, you are my weakness...

[larry]

It looks absolutely delicious

[Steve]

I've never made stuffed cannelloni and I love it so much...I wonder why that is? I do believe this great recipe will set me on a different track, thanks! - S

[Lizzy]

Wow, what a marvelous dinner! You make cannelloni exactly how I like to eat it :)

I usually have leftover cream or buttermilk...good for sauces, desserts, corn muffins...mmmmmm.

[Tiffany]

No music? :D This looks so yummy! I've also been craving filling, comfort foods. I made baked ziti two days ago with spinach, two types of olives, capers, and carrots. I figured it could be considered healthy if I added veggies to my ricotta and 5 cheese blend. Hehehehehe!

[torviewtoronto]

this looks good

[Foodtographer Lv]

I haven't had cannelloni for some time. This dish looks awesome and making me hungry. One tip for filling the pasta. Make a pseudo pastry bag out of a plastic zip bag, put the filling in the bag and snip the corner. Works great for cannoli too. Best of all, easy clean up...CHEERS!

[Alina]

You know, the thought occurred to me only after I was on my 13th cannelloni. Thanks for the tip though.