What a perfect combination ricotta and spinach cannelloni crepes topped with a simple tomato sauce. Crepes are easy to prepare, and in no time, they can be filled with a thousand different fillings, but my favorite without a doubt remains ricotta and spinach. I use sheep ricotta to fill the crepes cannelloni, more flavorful, mixed with cooked spinach, quickly in a pan. Preparing the crepes is very easy with my method, a simple batter of eggs and flour gradually diluted with milk to avoid lumps and easily prepare the batter, I usually use about 3 tablespoons of flour per egg, but you can also increase or decrease by one, and then the milk needed to obtain the perfect batter. Alternatively, you can also prepare the classic cannelloni with homemade egg pasta, just prepare lasagna-like sheets, roll them up after filling and arrange them in a baking dish just like for the crepes. So let’s see how to prepare these delicious ricotta and spinach filled cannelloni, a light and tasty oven-baked first course perfect for Sunday family lunch but also for special occasions.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 12 pieces (about 6 servings)
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni Crepes
- 3 medium eggs
- 9 tablespoons flour
- 15.9 oz skimmed milk
- 1 pinch salt
- a little butter or oil for the pan
- 25 oz frozen spinach or 2.2 lbs fresh
- 14.1 oz sheep ricotta
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste grated cheeses
- 24.7 oz tomato puree
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste onion
- to taste salt
- to taste basil (optional)
Tools for Preparing Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni Crepes
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Crepe Pan
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Napkin
- 1 Plate
- 1 Pan
- 1 Kitchen Spatula
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Pot
- 1 Knife
- 1 Kitchen Spatula
- 1 Baking Dish
Steps for Preparing Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni Crepes
Let’s start by cooking the spinach in a covered pan. We put them in the pan still frozen or if fresh simply washed and drained, cover and let them cook on low heat, without adding anything. When they are ready, let them cool.
Let’s also prepare the tomato sauce. In a pot, we put a little oil with chopped onion, sauté on low heat and then add the puree, salt, a little water and cook for at least 20-30 minutes with the lid on and low heat.
Then we prepare the batter for the crepes. In a bowl, we put eggs and flour, mix with a whisk, and if the mixture is too dry, add a dash of milk to get a lump-free cream, then add all the milk to get a smooth batter. Add a pinch of salt and move on to cooking.
We cook in the greased and wiped pan with a napkin half a ladle of mixture at a time, lift the pan to let the mixture flow over the entire surface. Let the crepe detach from the edge and turn it to cook it on the other side, proceed like this for all and occasionally pass the napkin on the base of the pan. Place the crepes on a plate.
In a bowl, we prepare the filling by working the ricotta with a fork and chopped spinach, add nutmeg and grated cheeses of choice, Parmesan and Pecorino or just one of the two. Also, adjust the salt.
In a large baking dish, we put a base of tomato sauce, then gradually fill the crepes with a spoonful of mixture, spread it over the crepe, and roll it up to form a cannelloni that we place gradually in the baking dish.
Cover with more sauce, add Parmesan and then bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes at 356°F. Let rest a couple of minutes before serving, the ricotta and spinach cannelloni crepes are ready to enjoy.
