Cannelloni ricotta & spinach 

What makes cannelloni ricotta and spinach such an irresistible first course? Their genuine simplicity? The balance between fresh homemade pasta and soft filling? The golden crust of delicious béchamel? Or maybe their smell of home, Sunday lunch as it once was?  Cannelloni ricotta and spinach are a classic first course perfect for any occasion, also ideal for vegetarian friends. Cannelloni ricotta and spinach are a perfect vegetarian first course for any occasion and also ideal for friends who do not eat meat and fish. 

Obviously it is a variant of the classic cannelloni meat and are perfect to prepare for lunch. They are very quick to make and above all you can prepare them in advance, cook them and freeze them. For this recipe of cannelloni ricotta and spinach I decided to use dry pasta because it is very practical and fast, in fact I just have to prepare the filling, stuff the cannelloni and bake them in the oven. For perfect cooking I suggest you abound with tomato sauce, especially in the corners: in this way the cannelloni will be creamy and tasty. 

But, if you prefer an even richer dish, you can also add the béchamel sauce. In the filling I decided to add a mozzarella cut into very small cubes that will make the filling stringy and even more delicious! Let's see together how to prepare them!

Ingredients

500 g ricotta

500 g spinach cooked and chopped

20 cannelloni

500 g tomato sauce

100 g mozzarella diced

100 g grated cheese

nutmeg

Pepper

Preparation

First, in a large bowl, we start by working with a fork the fresh ricotta. We add the previously cooked and chopped spinach to the knife. Mix everything well and add salt, nutmeg and pepper. Finally, add the grated cheese and the mozzarella cut into very small cubes. We take an aluminum pan of 8 portions and make a first layer of tomato sauce. With the help of a teaspoon or a piping bag we fill all the cannelloni with our ricotta and spinach filling. Once we have placed all the cannelloni well we just have to season them. Let's cover them well with plenty of tomato sauce. Finally add plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a ventilated oven at 180 °C for 35 minutes, or in a static oven at 190 °C for 35 minutes. Once our cannelloni are cooked, let them cool for 5 minutes and they are ready to be served! 

Enjoy your meal!