This simple cannelloni recipe with Ricotta and Spinach is super easy to prepare. When I cook the stuffed pasta for a dinner with friends, I prepare them already in the afternoon. That way, I only have to put the baking dish in the oven in the evening. The delicious cannelloni is filled with a cream of ricotta, Parmesan, spinach leaves, and roasted almonds. The stuffed pasta then cooks in the oven in a hearty, flavored tomato sauce. You really have to try this super delicious oven dish. I think it tastes
just as good as from the restaurant. Cannelloni is a classic Italian pasta dish that is really easy to prepare. You can
prepare it in many ways, I especially love the vegetarian version with spinach and ricotta. Particularly because the cannelloni then tastes like the original from the Italian Restaurant.
Authentic Italian Cannelloni in tomato sauce
Cannelloni are large pasta tubes made of semolina, about 10 cm long and 3 cm wide. They are made from fresh pasta dough rolled up into these tubes before you fill them with ground meat or this classic ricotta spinach mixture. I opted for store-bought cannelloni here, rather than making my own pasta dough (as the Italians would), rolling it out and filling it. If you use dried pre-made cannelloni pasta, you should plan on a longer baking time of about 35 minutes and the sauce should be a bit more liquidy, just like here in my recipe, to allow the pasta to cook better in it. Of course, “al dente” is best. Since the cannelloni are quite powerful, I recommend you to eat no more than a side salad with it. We also love an Italian red wine from Puglia with this delicious pasta dish.
I love oven meals that I can have prepared in advance. It gives me much more time to take care of my guests later while the food is simmering, roasting, or baking in the oven. And it’s also a huge advantage if you know ahead of time that things will have
to go quickly at a later point. Cannelloni is a very large tube-shaped pasta made from semolina, and it’s just the
perfect choice for stuffing. You can also fill this delicious pasta with ground meat or a vegetarian mushroom filling. We prefer to eat cannelloni in the traditional way – filled with Italian ricotta cheese and spinach. Hearty cannelloni stuffed with ricotta spinach and mint.
How to make authentic Italian cannelloni at home
The filling of the cannelloni is also joined by some fresh, chopped mint. The mint and grated lemon zest add some freshness to this delicious pasta dish. I baked the cannelloni in two baking dishes since I don’t have a large dish matching this amount.
Four people are well fed by the portion. I slightly miscalculated the amount of food the first time resulting in me and my husband eating the delicious Italian classic for two or three days. No problem for us, we love cannelloni! Simple cannelloni with spinach and ricotta cheese If you like pasta, then take a look at the delicious, classic Bolognese on my blog as well. I’m sure you’ll like it just as much as I do.
Simple cannelloni recipe with spinach and ricotta cheese
This simple cannelloni recipe with Ricotta and Spinach is super easy to prepare. When I cook stuffed pasta for dinner with friends, I prepare them already in the afternoon. That way, I only have to put the baking dish in the oven in the evening. The delicious cannelloni is filled with a cream of ricotta, Parmesan, spinach leaves, and roasted almonds. The stuffed pasta then cooks in the oven in a hearty, flavored tomato sauce. You really have to try this super delicious oven dish.
I think it tastes just as good as from the restaurant. Cannelloni is a classic Italian pasta dish that is really easy to prepare. You can
prepare it in many ways, I especially love the vegetarian version with spinach and ricotta. Particularly because the cannelloni then tastes like the original from the Italian Restaurant. Cannelloni are large pasta tubes made of semolina, about 10 cm long and 3 cm wide. They are made from fresh pasta dough rolled up into these tubes before you fill them with ground meat or this classic ricotta spinach mixture.
Easy recipe for homemade cannelloni
I opted for store-bought cannelloni here, rather than making my own pasta dough (as the Italians would), rolling it out, and filling it. If you use dried pre-made cannelloni pasta, you should plan on a longer baking time of about 35 minutes and the sauce should be a bit more liquidy, just like here in my recipe, to allow the pasta to cook better in it. Of course, “al dente” is best.
Since the cannelloni are quite powerful, I recommend eating no more than a side salad with it. We also love an Italian red wine from Puglia with this delicious pasta dish. I love oven meals that I can have prepared in advance. It gives me much more time to take care of my guests later while the food is simmering, roasting, or baking in the oven. And it’s also a huge advantage if you know ahead of time that things will have to go quickly at a later point.
Cannelloni is a very large tube-shaped pasta made from semolina, and it’s just the perfect choice for stuffing. You can also fill this delicious pasta with ground meat or a vegetarian mushroom filling. We prefer to eat cannelloni in the traditional way – filled with Italian ricotta cheese and spinach.
Hearty cannelloni stuffed with ricotta spinach and mint.
My recipe tip for you
Gratinated chicken breast Caprese with tomato and cheese
The filling of the cannelloni is also joined by some fresh, chopped mint. The mint and grated lemon zest add some freshness to this delicious pasta dish. I baked the cannelloni in two baking dishes since I don’t have a large dish matching this amount.
Four people are well-fed by the portion. I slightly miscalculated the amount of food the first time, resulting in me and my husband eating the delicious Italian classic for two or three days. No problem for us, we love cannelloni! Simple cannelloni with spinach and ricotta cheese If you like pasta, then take a look at the delicious, classic Bolognese on my blog as well. I’m sure you’ll like it just as much as I do.
I hope you enjoy reading, strolling through and trying out my cooking and baking recipes!
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
- 1 ovenproof baking dish
- 1 cutting board
- 1 pan
- 1 whisk
- 1 knife
- 1 paring knife
- 1 colander
- 1 grater
Ingredients
Cannelloni with ricotta
- 250 g cannelloni
- 150 g spinach leaves
- 2 eggs
- 1 large shallot
- 35 g almond leaves
- 4-5 tbsp mint freshly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 grated lemon zest of an organic lemon
- 1/4 tbsp chili and salt & pepper
- 60 g parmesan grated
- 500 g ricotta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Tomato sauce
- 2 cans of large tomato & approx. 300 ml water
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 Handful basil & 1 tsp. Herbs de Provence
- 0,5 tbsp salt & some pepper
- 0,5 tbsp fresh chili
Béchamel sauce
- 120 ml cream
- 250 ml milk
- 50 g flour
- 50 g butter
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 40 g Parmesan for the sauce
- 200-250 g grated cheese, e.g. mozzarella for gratinating
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. Then wash the spinach thoroughly and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes until it has fallen together. Once cooked, squeeze out leftover water thoroughly.
- Roast the almond leaves in a frying pan for about 2 to 3 minutes without fat, making sure they do not get too dark or burn. Peel the shallot and garlic and sauté lightly in a little olive oil. Chop the spinach and add it together with the shallots, garlic
- Toasted almond flakes and mix eggs well into the ricotta cheese. I roughly crush the almond leaves with my hands beforehand. Finely chop the mint and add it together
- with the grated cheese to the spinach-ricotta mixture.
- Rrinse the organic lemon under running water and dry. Then grate the lemon zest and mix the grated lemon zest together with salt, pepper and chili to the ricotta filling.
- Mix the canned, chopped tomatoes with the coarsely chopped basil, sea salt and the chopped garlic clove, as well as salt, pepper and a teaspoon of dried herbs de Provence.
- Fill a piping bag with a large nozzle with the ricotta and spinach mixture and fill the cannelloni one by one.
- Put the tomato sauce in a large baking dish and place the cannelloni evenly on top. I used two casserole dishes since I dont own a large one.
Béchamel sauce
- Sweat the butter and flour in a pan. Mix milk with cream and add in very slowly. Stir constantly with a whisk so that no lumps form in the sauce. Mix milk with cream and add in very slowly. Stir constantly with a whisk so that no lumps form in the sauce. Now stir the grated Parmesan cheese into the béchamel sauce.
- The finished sauce is then poured evenly over the cannelloni in the baking dish. It is then time to place the cannelloni in the preheated oven (180-190 degrees) for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, the grated mozzarella is sprinkled over the cannelloni and everything bakes together for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- The delicious cannelloni with ricotta, spinach and cheese in tomato sauce are now ready and can be served. A fresh green salad is suitable as a side dish. Enjoy your meal!
