Cannelloni di Magro (Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni)

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni is one of the traditional baked pasta recipes in Italian cuisine.In Italy, we make this dish for special occasions, such as Sunday dinner with the family or Christmas and Easter lunches.Cannelloni are tubes of pasta about 10 cm (4 inches) long that are stuffed with some ingredients, seasoned, and then baked. Along with lasagna Bolognese, cannelloni is one of the most popular and beloved traditional baked pasta dishes.

📝 Ingredients

• 12 cannelloni
• 500 ml milk (- 2 cups)
• 40 g unsalted butter (-1.4 oz)
• 40 g all-purpose flour (-1.4 oz)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• nutmeg (- to taste)
• 300 g spinach (- 11 oz)
• 250 g ricotta (- 9 oz)
• 100 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano (- 1 cup)
• 1 medium egg
• nutmeg (- to taste)
• salt (- to taste)
• black pepper (- to taste)
• 500 ml tomato passata (strained tomatoes) (- 2 cups)
• 1 small onion
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt (- to taste)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- THE TOMATO SAUCE ---
2. 2tip: First make the tomato sauce. You can make it 1 or 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it. Skip this step if you want to make the cannelloni "in bianco", without tomatoes (see the paragraph below).
3. 3chop: Finely chop the onion.
4. 4Sauté in oil for a few minutes in a saucepan. Add the tomato passata and a pinch of salt.
5. 5cook: Stir, cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. When ready, set aside.
6. 6--- THE BECHAMEL SAUCE ---
7. 7stir: In a pan, prepare the "roux" by melting the butter and adding the flour. Stir with a hand whisk to remove any lumps.
8. 8Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it slightly. Turn off the heat and pour the warm milk into the roux, stirring quickly with a hand whisk.
9. 9cook: Return to the heat. Season with salt and a little nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the béchamel has reached the desired consistency.
10. 10Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. You can also store it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. However, the plastic wrap must be in contact with the béchamel. This is the only way to prevent that unpleasant film from forming on the surface.
11. 11--- THE FILLING ---
12. 12clean: To prepare the filling, first remove the leathery part of the stem from the spinach and wash them (if using fresh spinach).
13. 13Boil the spinach leaves for 3-4 minutes in a pot with a little water and a pinch of salt.
14. 14squeeze: Drain, allow to cool and squeeze well. Then chop them with a knife. We do NOT recommend using an electric blender as it will reduce the spinach to mush.
15. 15add: Place the spinach in a bowl. Then add the ricotta (well drained of its water), the egg and the grated Parmigiano cheese.
16. 16Add the grated nutmeg and a little black pepper. Season with salt and mix well until smooth. Set aside.
17. 17--- THE CANNELLONI ---
18. 18note: BEFORE YOU START: I used fresh pasta. If you have got already the cannelloni tubes, skip these steps.
19. 19blanch: Quickly blanch the pasta sheets in boiling salted water. Take a fairly large pot. Fill it with water, add a little salt and bring to a boil. When it boils, add a tablespoon of oil. Now dip the sheets of dough one by one. It only takes a few seconds. Drain them well.
20. 20place: Once removed, place them on clean dish towels. Note: This step is not always necessary, but we recommend it if the dough is not very thin.
21. 21Place about two tablespoons of the filling on one side of the dough rectangle (not in the center).
22. 22Roll the dough on itself around the filling to form cylinders (cannelloni).
23. 23--- THE BAKING ---
24. 24Spread two tablespoons of the béchamel sauce and one tablespoon of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Then arrange the cannelloni inside the casserole.
25. 25Top with plenty of béchamel sauce and grated Parmigiano cheese.
26. 26Add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce. This should not be too much. The béchamel remains the main sauce in this recipe.
27. 27bake: Place the baking dish in a hot oven at 200°C (390°F) and bake for 15 minutes. To get a nice crispy crust on top, you can turn on the grill for the last 2-3 minutes.
28. 28serve: When cooked, remove from the oven and let the ricotta and spinach cannelloni rest at room temperature for 5 minutes. Serve hot.