Ricotta and spinach Cannelloni

Updated at: Sun, 25 Aug 2024 09:36:11 GMT

Step 1

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and spinach, then cover and cook until just wilted.

Step 2

Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Discard the garlic, then mix through the remaining ingredients. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 3

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the passata and water and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 15 minutes. Season with salt and stir through the basil leaves.

Step 4

To make the pasta dough, place the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre and drop in the eggs and a pinch of salt. Combine using your fingers or a fork, then knead for 3-4 minutes to release the gluten and bring it together in a smooth ball. Add up to 1 tablespoon of water if it seems a bit dry. Wrap it (I use beeswax wraps) and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 5

Dust your board with flour or coarse semolina, and cut the dough into quarters. Work with one piece at a time and keep the rest wrapped up to prevent the dough from drying out. Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand, then pass it through the pasta machine's widest setting three or four times, folding the dough into three each time. Continue passing the dough through the machine (no further folding required), each time through a thinner setting, until you get to the second-last setting or the sheet is roughly 2.5 mm thick. Cut the pasta into 15 cm x 10 cm rectangles and dust them with semolina. Get your filling and sauce ready to start assembling the dish (you don't want to leave the sheets of pasta too long, otherwise they will dry out).

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Step 7

To assemble, smear a few tablespoons of the sauce over the base of a 40 cm x 30 cm baking dish to create a cosy bed for the cannelloni.

Step 8

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto each pasta rectangle and roll up to enclose, then place, seam-side down, in the dish. Spoon the rest of the sauce over the cannelloni so that each roll is positively drowning in it. (You can add a little water to the sauce if you don't have enough.) sprinkle the cheeses over the top and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Step 9

Bake for 30 minutes or until nicely browned on top. Cover with foil and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, then scatter over a few extra basil leaves and serve.

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