Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
Baked cannelloni tubes stuffed with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling, topped with tomato sauce and bubbling mozzarella.
25Prep min
40Cook min
65Total min
Serves 4Serves
ItalianCuisine
EasyDifficulty
Cannelloni is one of those dishes that looks like a restaurant plate but comes together with very little fuss. Here, dried pasta tubes are filled with a soft mixture of ricotta, cooked spinach, nutmeg and parmesan, then laid in a bed of tomato sauce and baked until the pasta is tender and the cheese on top is golden.
The filling is the star, so take a minute to squeeze the spinach properly dry. Wet spinach makes the ricotta mixture loose, and loose filling is hard to pipe and turns watery in the oven. Use a piping bag or a zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off; it is much faster than spooning filling into each tube.
Serve this with a simple green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce. It bakes in one dish, feeds four generously, and reheats well the next day.
The filling is the star, so take a minute to squeeze the spinach properly dry. Wet spinach makes the ricotta mixture loose, and loose filling is hard to pipe and turns watery in the oven. Use a piping bag or a zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off; it is much faster than spooning filling into each tube.
Serve this with a simple green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce. It bakes in one dish, feeds four generously, and reheats well the next day.
Ingredients
- 250 g dried cannelloni tubes (about 16 tubes)
- 500 g fresh spinach, or 300 g frozen spinach, thawed
- 450 g ricotta
- 60 g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for the spinach water
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 700 g passata (tomato puree)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 200 g mozzarella, torn into small pieces
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, to finish
- Extra olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- If using fresh spinach, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the spinach and cook for 1 minute until wilted. Drain and rinse under cold water, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can in a clean tea towel or with your hands. If using frozen spinach, squeeze it thoroughly dry. Chop roughly and set aside.
- Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not coloured. Pour in the passata, add the oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). In a bowl, combine the ricotta, half the parmesan, the egg, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Stir in the chopped spinach until evenly mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Spoon about a third of the tomato sauce into the base of a roughly 23 x 33 cm baking dish and spread it out.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag or a zip-lock bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe the filling into each cannelloni tube, filling it fully but not overstuffing. If you do not have a bag, use a small spoon to push the filling in from both ends.
- Lay the filled tubes in a single layer over the sauce, snug against each other. Pour the remaining sauce over the top, then scatter over the mozzarella and the rest of the parmesan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 12 to 15 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling and a knife slides easily into a tube.
- Rest for 5 minutes, scatter with basil leaves and serve.
Cook’s tips
- Squeeze the spinach really dry; excess water is the most common reason for a watery bake.
- Pipe the filling rather than spooning it in, it is faster and gives an even result.
- If your cannelloni tubes are the no-boil type, do not pre-cook them; the sauce and moisture from the filling will soften them in the oven.
- Let the dish rest for a few minutes before serving so the filling sets slightly.
Substitutions
- Swap the ricotta for full-fat cottage cheese, drained in a sieve for 20 minutes.
- Use frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed, if fresh spinach is not available.
- Replace the mozzarella with an extra 150 g of grated parmesan or a vegetarian hard cheese for a sharper topping.
- Add a handful of chopped fresh basil or a pinch of chilli flakes to the tomato sauce.
Storage & reheating
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a 180C oven, covered with foil, for 20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make spinach and ricotta cannelloni ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the dish up to the point of baking, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add 10 minutes to the covered baking time since it starts cold.
Do I need to pre-cook the cannelloni tubes?
No, standard dried cannelloni is designed to be filled and baked from dry. The sauce and the moisture in the filling soften the pasta as it bakes.
Can I freeze this dish?
Yes, freeze it unbaked and well wrapped for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed, adding about 10 minutes to the covered stage.
How do I stop the cannelloni from drying out?
Make sure every tube is covered by sauce and bake the first part of the time under foil. The covered stage steams the pasta so it cooks through evenly.
