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Categories:Viewed: 95 - Published at: 8 years ago
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8oz) baby spinach
- 500 g (17.6oz) fresh ricotta cheese
- 35 g (1.2oz) finely grated parmesan cheese
- 75 g (2.6oz) grated cheddar cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 large lemon, finely grated zest only
- 16 dried cannelloni pasta tubes
- 690 g (24.3oz) tomato passata (pureed tomatoes) or pasta sauce (have an extra bottle on hand in case)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4).
- First, make the filling.
- Get a big pot of boiling water and plunge the spinach into it.
- After a few seconds, it will wilt.
- At this point, drain the spinach and run cold water over it to stop it cooking any further.
- This step is not essential but it cools the spinach down quickly, making it easier to fill the cannelloni tubes.
- Squeeze the excess moisture from the spinach, roughly chop and place in a big bowl.
- Mix in the ricotta, parmesan, one-third of the cheddar, the egg yolks, garlic, lemon zest and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- Using a spoon, your finger or a piping (icing) bag, fill the cannelloni tubes with the spinach mixture.
- Make sure you fill them to the brim.
- Find a baking dish that is suitable to go into the oven and will fit the cannelloni tubes snugly in one layer (a 3 litre/105 fl oz capacity one is ideal) and pour in enough passata to cover its base.
- Arrange the filled tubes so they fit snugly, then pour over the remaining passata to cover.
- If they're not fully covered, use some of that spare bottle of passata.
- Top with the remaining cheddar and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pasta is soft when pierced with a knife.
