SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI

SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI

1 onion (roughly diced)

1 carrot (roughly diced)

3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)

1 tbl dr oregano

70gm tomato paste

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

800gm can crushed tomatoes

1 bunch fresh basil (washed, just leaves, stems removed)

Ricotta filling (recipe available via link)

1 egg

250gm cannelloni pasta shells

(Optional) béchamel sauce (recipe available via link)

80gm grana padano/Parmasen reggiano

Salt

Olive oil

Preheat oven o 180 degrees Celsius.

  1. Start by making the tomato sauce. In pot on medium heat add in a glug of olive oil, onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and allow to sweat for 5 minutes. Add in oregano and cook for a minute, add in tomato paste and cook out for a minute, then add apple cider vinegar and garlic and reduce until almost all the vinegar is gone. Add crushed tomatoes (plus a dash of water washing out the can as you do so) and season with salt. Bring to simmer and allow to bubble gently for 20 minutes. Once simmered, add in half of the basil leaves, torn, and mixed through.

  2. To stuff cannelloni, add 1 egg to the ricotta filling mix and mix through with your hands. Pop filling into a piping bag and pipe in to the pasta shells one by one.

  3. To put together, add a layer of tomato sauce of the bottom of the tray with a solid drizzle fo béchamel. Place all the cannelloni down each side until base is covered with a little bit of wiggle room. Give them a little wiggle around to make sure the sauce coast the sides. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and and then finish with another solid drizzle of béchamel.

  4. Cover tray with foil and bake for 30 minutes, before removing foil adding finely grated grana padano on top and cooking for another 10 minutes with no cover, before cranking the oven onto grill to get a final nice char.

  5. Finish with torn basil leaves and enjoy.