It's time for pasta! My hubby doesn't really like pasta too much but if anything, he prefers baked pasta dishes such as cannelloni. I had quite a bit of spinach to use so I thought a spinach & cheese cannelloni would be in order. I served this with sliced italian sausage. The recipe I used was inspired by Sara Moulton's version. 
Here's my recipe for Spinach & Cheese Cannelloni:
Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups half & half
salt & pepper to taste
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Cannelloni:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 ounces baby spinach
1 12 oz container ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
8 dry or "no-boil" Lasagna noodles , boiled & cooled
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook the roux, whisking, 2 minutes. Add the half & half and whisk, bringing to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 2 minutes.
Whisk in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, then cover.
To make the cannelloni:
Heat oil in a 5 to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and saute, stirring, until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Stir together ricotta, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, and cheese in a bowl, then stir in spinach mixture.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Spread 2/3 cup sauce in buttered baking dish.
Spread about 1/3 cup ricotta filling in a line along 1 short side of 1 pasta rectangle, then roll up to enclose filling. Transfer, seam side down, to baking dish.
Make 7 more cannelloni in same manner, arranging snugly in 1 layer.
Spread 1/2 cup more sauce over cannelloni and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven until sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes.
Turn on broiler. Remove foil and broil cannelloni about 5 inches from heat until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Reheat remaining sauce and serve on the side.
**I'm also submitting this to the Presto Pasta Nights blogging event! This week the event is hosted by Gay of A Scientist in the Kitchen. Be on the lookout for great pasta recipes with their roundup coming up next week!**
Here's my recipe for Spinach & Cheese Cannelloni:Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups half & half
salt & pepper to taste
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Cannelloni:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 ounces baby spinach
1 12 oz container ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
8 dry or "no-boil" Lasagna noodles , boiled & cooled
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook the roux, whisking, 2 minutes. Add the half & half and whisk, bringing to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 2 minutes.
Whisk in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, then cover.
To make the cannelloni:
Heat oil in a 5 to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and saute, stirring, until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Stir together ricotta, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, and cheese in a bowl, then stir in spinach mixture.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Spread 2/3 cup sauce in buttered baking dish.
Spread about 1/3 cup ricotta filling in a line along 1 short side of 1 pasta rectangle, then roll up to enclose filling. Transfer, seam side down, to baking dish.
Make 7 more cannelloni in same manner, arranging snugly in 1 layer.
Spread 1/2 cup more sauce over cannelloni and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven until sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes.
Turn on broiler. Remove foil and broil cannelloni about 5 inches from heat until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Reheat remaining sauce and serve on the side.
**I'm also submitting this to the Presto Pasta Nights blogging event! This week the event is hosted by Gay of A Scientist in the Kitchen. Be on the lookout for great pasta recipes with their roundup coming up next week!**
That looks so delicious!
ReplyDeleteyum! All that cheesy goodness is making my mouth water. I have the opposite problem as you- hubby likes pasta waay more than spinach. I think your recipe could solve my problem too though! :)
ReplyDeleteThis makes my mouth water...
ReplyDeletewhat a delicious and brilliant idea!! yummy!
ReplyDeleteLove the spinach and cheese combo!
ReplyDeleteYou can't really go wrong with that combination! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteSo is canneloni just like lasagna rolls? I always thought it was manicotti without the stripes - or did you just use the lasagna noodles cause they were easy? (I HATE filling tube pasta)
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! I love spinach, cheese, and pasta together. Anything with pasta wins me over :)
ReplyDeleteKate/That Girl: Cannelloni is made out of a rectangular piece of pasta that's filled then rolled... whereas Mannicotti is pre-made pasta tube that's filled. They are often mistaken for each other, but it won't stop me from eating them :) So no worries - use lasagna sheets! (Filling tubes are a PITA!)
ReplyDeleteWOW.. this is good, but looks time consuming to make.. :o)
ReplyDeleteJescel, yes... it can be time consuming to make from scratch but you can "cheat" if you want to save some time. To do so, use maybe a jarred alfredo sauce + soaked lasagna noodles (doesn't have to be cooked all the way through)+ a mixture of frozen spinach, cheese & spices. Assemble and you're good to go. You can even prepare this when you do have some time and place it in the freezer to enjoy later. It freezes well!
ReplyDeletePasta is the only way I can sneak spinach in so that my hubby will eat it. I will add this one to try.
ReplyDeleteBaked pasta was the only way I could get my girls to eat spinach when they were little.
ReplyDeleteYours looks lovely. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night.