Description
The tastiest vegetarian pasta dish, perfect for a quick and easy weekday dinner!
Ingredients
Filling
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 punnet (250 g) brown mushrooms, chopped
1 packet (300 g) spinach, steamed and drained
500 g ricotta cheese, crumbled
¼ C (60 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
freshly milled salt and pepper
20 cannelloni tubes
Tomato Sauce
2 cans (410 g each) whole tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) crushed garlic
a handful of fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
freshly milled salt and pepper
White Sauce
1 tub (250 g) smooth low-fat cottage cheese
1 tub (250 g) sour cream or crème fraîche
3 Tbsp (45 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
freshly milled salt and pepper
2 eggs (optional, if you prefer a firm white sauce)
Topping
¼ cup (60 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
Filling
Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil until soft and glossy. Add the oregano, nutmeg and brown mushrooms, and cook over a low heat until soft and aromatic. Remove from the heat and add the spinach. Allow to cool. Spoon the mixture into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the ricotta and Parmesan, and season well. Spoon into a piping bag or into a plastic bag with the corner cut off and fill the cannelloni.
Tomato sauce
Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. Pour the sauce into a large rectangular baking dish or 4 small ones and place the cannelloni on top of the sauce.
Quick white sauce
Mix the cottage cheese, sour cream and Parmesan cheese together, and season to taste.
Spoon the white sauce over the cannelloni, sprinkle with Parmesan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Serve with a crisp green salad.
