Crepes cannelloni with ricotta and spinach in tomato sauce. An easy and tasty recipe for a main dish suitable for Sunday lunch and special occasions.

A valid alternative to fresh pasta, crepes are a dish that combines the creaminess of ricotta with the delicacy of spinach, creating a harmony of enveloping and delightful flavors appreciated even by the most discerning.

The preparation takes some time, but you can make the crepes, filling, and béchamel in advance, storing all the ingredients in the fridge, and fill your crepes with the ricotta and spinach filling just before serving.

Keep in mind the baking time needed for the gratin, about 20/25 minutes.

If you like, I’ll provide two solutions for the crepes: the classic one that I’ll explain in this article and those with oat flour, which are more dietary. Additionally, I’ll provide various lactose-free and gluten-free béchamel recipes. You might want to take a look.

These crepes are lighter recipe for oat flour crepes.

Here you can find lighter versions of béchamel for those with gluten or lactose issues.

Version 1 light béchamel recipe. Version 2 béchamel with rice milk and gluten-free.

Let’s see in detail how to make crepes, exquisite and extremely versatile.

They are prepared by mixing eggs with milk and flour; to have a smooth batter without lumps, start with the dry ingredients, then sift the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the slightly beaten eggs. Start mixing with a whisk, then continue to mix while adding the milk. In no time, you’ll have a smooth and perfect batter!!!

Let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes in a cool place or in the fridge. This step is essential because the flour will release all the starch for softer and more delicious crepes.

Pour it, one ladle at a time, into a hot pan slightly buttered or oiled: remove it from the heat and pour a ladleful of batter, quickly rotate it to “coat” the entire pan, and immediately put it back on medium heat to get golden crepes.

Great for those who want to keep it light, but be careful not to overdo the portions, even though it will be difficult because, like cherries, one leads to another!

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Very cheap
Rest time: 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 4/6
Cooking methods: Stovetop, Electric Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All Seasons

663.91 Kcal

calories per serving

Info Close

Energy 663.91 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 45.87 (g) of which sugars 9.96 (g)
Proteins 30.53 (g)
Fat 41.99 (g) of which saturated 22.20 (g)of which unsaturated 14.87 (g)
Fibers 4.17 (g)
Sodium 1,449.72 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients for Crepes with Ricotta and Spinach

2 eggs
10 oz milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
to taste olive oil (or butter to grease the pan)
to taste salt
16 oz ricotta
1 lb spinach
2.5 oz Parmesan
to taste salt
pepper
0.5 cup butter
5/8 cup all-purpose flour
27 oz milk
to taste salt
to taste nutmeg
24 oz tomato purée (1 bottle)
1 clove garlic
leaves basil
to taste extra virgin olive oil
salt
to taste Parmesan (for sprinkling)

Tools

Baking Dish
Frying Pan
Mixing Bowl
Ladle
Pots
Blender
Saucepan
Kitchen Scales
Measuring Jug
Whisk

Steps for Crepes with Ricotta and Spinach

In a large bowl, sift the flour (essential to avoid lumps).
Then, in a second bowl, beat the eggs and mix them with a hand whisk.
Gradually incorporate flour and milk and mix with the hand whisk.
Dilute the mixture by gradually adding milk and continue mixing until you have a fluid batter completely free of lumps.
“If lumps have formed, blend everything with an immersion blender for a few seconds”!
Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature (or in the fridge in a less cold area).
After the resting time:
Stir the batter again with the whisk and proceed to cook. Heat a non-stick pan 8-9 inches on medium heat.
Grease the pan with a bit of oil, using a piece of kitchen paper, and heat it well. Pour a ladleful of batter and quickly rotate the pan to distribute it evenly.
“If you prefer, you can grease the pan using butter instead of oil”.
As soon as the crepe is set and its edges easily come away, flip it over and complete cooking for another 30-40 seconds.
(It’s easy to know when to flip the crepe because it will easily come away from the bottom).
Continue until you have used all the batter, greasing the pan slightly with kitchen paper every 3-4 crepes.
Heat the garlic clove in the oil, add the tomato and basil leaves, a bit of salt, and cook covered for about 25/30 minutes.
Stir the sauce occasionally. Cook on low heat.
Then it’s ready.
Boil the spinach.
(If using fresh spinach. Thoroughly wash the fresh spinach leaves under running water to remove any impurities).
(If using frozen spinach).
Cook them for a few minutes.
Drain the spinach.
Squeeze them very well and chop them finely.
(I used a mezzaluna, but a blender is also fine).
In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the spinach and grated cheese.
Incorporate chopped marjoram and thyme if you like, add nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.
Mix very well.
Prepare the béchamel: in a saucepan, melt the butter, once melted, add all the flour at once to the melted butter; using a whisk, completely absorb the flour into the melted butter and let it toast slightly.
Pour the milk into the saucepan, continue to whisk to avoid lumps, season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Continue whisking until the milk boils and the mixture begins to thicken, forming the béchamel.
Once the béchamel is ready, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a bowl to cool.
Take the first crepe and spread it evenly with the filling, roll it up and continue this way with all the others.
In a baking dish, pour a ladle of tomato sauce and béchamel, lay the crepe cannelloni and pour over the remaining sauce, béchamel, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan.
Bake the crepe cannelloni with ricotta and spinach in a static oven at 392°F for about 25 minutes. Always adjust times and temperatures according to your oven!
Here they are ready! Delicious, soft, creamy, and super tasty!
Enjoy your meal.

Advice

If you like, you can also use frozen spinach boiled in slightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes, then drained and well dried.

You can also use sheep’s ricotta in addition to cow’s.

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Storage

The ricotta and spinach crepes can be stored in the fridge for two days. You can reheat or gratin them in the oven.

If you want to plan ahead, you can prepare just the crepes at most the day before, storing them in the fridge well covered or in an airtight container. You can freeze the dish before cooking it.