If you’re looking for a dish that brings happiness to both adults and children, perhaps perfect for Sunday lunch when the whole family gathers, cannelloni with ricotta and spinach are exactly what you need.
Cannelloni with ricotta, spinach in tomato sauce is an exceptional dish for homemade pasta lovers, especially when filled with fresh ricotta. Suitable for any occasion that will have you licking your lips.
They are made with fresh egg pasta, first filled with a mixture of ricotta, spinach, and cheese; then dressed in a baking dish with béchamel and tomato sauce, and finally baked until a typical golden and crispy crust forms, with a soft and stringy filling that blends perfectly with the shell!
In short, endless deliciousness! For the dough, we will use semolina flour and all-purpose flour with eggs, which gives it a rustic, rough, and porous texture.
I chose to make fresh egg pasta. But we can also use dry pasta available in stores specifically made in the shape of cannelloni, or we can take fresh pasta sheets (like those used for lasagna), fill them, and carefully roll them into the typical tube shape of this type of pasta.
Perfect for Sunday lunch, special occasions like Easter, Christmas, brunches, and parties!
Cannelloni with ricotta and spinach can be prepared well in advance, cooked at the moment or kept for the next day and reheated! Kids love them too!
Here’s the recipe.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4/6
- Cooking methods: Stove, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 621.57 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 48.93 (g) of which sugars 6.78 (g)
- Proteins 28.49 (g)
- Fat 36.59 (g) of which saturated 20.37 (g)of which unsaturated 11.42 (g)
- Fibers 3.13 (g)
- Sodium 1,398.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 190 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 Cannelloni with Ricotta and Spinach
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup semolina flour
- 2 eggs
- as needed water (if needed)
- salt
- 17.6 oz ricotta
- 7 oz spinach (cooked weight)
- 2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- as needed nutmeg
- salt
- 3 cups milk
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- salt
- as needed nutmeg
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch basil
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- 1 pat butter (for greasing the baking dish)
- as needed Parmesan cheese
Tools
- Pasta Machines
- Pastry Board
- Pot
- Casserole
- Baking Pan
- Food Scales
- Tea Towel
- Pastry Wheel
Steps for Cannelloni with Ricotta and Spinach
Sauté chopped onion in a saucepan with some oil.
Add tomato sauce to the saucepan with the chopped onion, season with salt and, if desired, a pinch of pepper.
Add some basil leaves for flavor.
Allow it to cook and slightly thicken.
While the sauce cooks, prepare the dough.
Make the pasta by combining the flours and beaten eggs, adding the necessary water and a pinch of salt.
(The amount of water may increase or decrease depending on the humidity of the flours).
Knead thoroughly to make the dough smooth and compact.
Form it into a ball, wrap it in a towel, and let it rest for 30 min. or covered with a plate.
Boil the spinach.
(If using fresh spinach. Wash them thoroughly under running water to remove any impurities).
(If using frozen spinach).
Cook them for a few minutes.
Drain the spinach.
Squeeze them well and chop finely.
(I used a mezzaluna, but a blender works too).
In a bowl, mix the spinach and grated cheese with the ricotta.
Add a chopped mix of marjoram and thyme if you like, along with nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
Mix very well.
Now prepare the béchamel: in a saucepan, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, add all the flour at once and stir with a whisk until fully absorbed and lightly toasted.
Pour the milk into the saucepan, continue stirring with the whisk to avoid lumps, season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Keep stirring until the milk comes to a boil and the mixture starts to thicken into béchamel.
Once the béchamel is ready, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a bowl to cool.
After the resting time, take a piece of dough and flatten it slightly with your hands, using a bit of flour.
Pass it through a pasta machine, starting with the widest setting.
Roll out the dough, making several passes to make it thin.
Naturally, choose your desired thickness, and cut each sheet into squares.
(If you don’t have a pasta machine, you can roll the dough by hand using a lightly floured rolling pin).
Dip the squares of fresh pasta briefly in boiling water, drain them, and let them dry on a cotton tea towel.
Tip: it’s important to spread out the squares perfectly without overlapping. If you prefer, you can dip them in cold water to stop cooking.
Fill a piping bag with the prepared filling, stuff each pasta square, and roll them to form the cannelloni.
Spread some béchamel and sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, and place the freshly made cannelloni on top.
Cover with sauce, béchamel, and grated cheese.
Bake in a preheated convection oven at 375°F for about 30/35 minutes.
Once baking time is over, remove them from the oven, let them cool slightly, and serve the cannelloni with ricotta and spinach.
Enjoy your meal.
Advice
You can store cannelloni with ricotta and spinach in the refrigerator for 1-2 days in an airtight container.
You can freeze the cannelloni either raw, then thaw them in the refrigerator and bake them; or cooked, then thaw them in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.
For a more original filling, use Swiss chard or greens instead of spinach, and for an even crunchier crust, sprinkle with Grana Padano or grated Caciocavallo cheese!
If you liked this recipe, click on many stars, thank you very much.
I look forward to seeing you in my group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/488624465780860
or on my page: https://www.facebook.com/gustoamoreefantasie
