Spinach and ricotta manicotti
What makes spinach and ricotta manicotti such an irresistible first course dish? Its wholesome simplicity? The balance between the homemade fresh pasta and succulent filling? The golden crust on the delicious baked bĂ©chamel sauce? Or maybe the fact that it smells like home, like Sunday lunch of days gone by? I’ve given it some thought, but I haven’t been able to come up with just one answer: They’re all equally wonderful ingredients that make this recipe a real classic of Italian cuisine that’s loved by both old and young alike. Perfect for vegetarian menus or special occasions!
Sunday at lunch my boys asked me to make them baked pasta... Ok... but I wanted it a bit more greedy... So what... large format to be filled đ, I used a large and wavy dough format that with a teaspoon I had no difficulty filling, the Manicotti. I scraped together what I had in the refrigerator and I thought that ricotta and ham combined create a delicious cream that already alone and good... so who knows in a salty filling ?! Well... I prepared all the ingredients on the countertop and got to work. To be fair, it must be said that filling one sleeve at a time is not the job that is a candidate for the award for the best fun of the year. But the result is nothing, not bad, far from it. đ
INGREDIENTS
Flour ¾ cup (100 g)Eggs 1 (55 g) - medium
FOR THE FILLINGSpinach ½ lb (250 g)Cow's milk ricotta cheese ⅔ cup (150 g)Eggs 1 - mediumGarlic 1 cloveExtra virgin olive oil to tasteGrana Padano cheese ½ cup (50 g) - gratedNutmeg 1 pinchBlack pepper to tasteFine salt to taste
FOR THE BĂCHAMEL SAUCEWhole milk 2 ¼ cups (500 g)Flour ⅓ cup (37 g)Butter 3 tbsp (50 g)Fine salt 1 pinchNutmeg to tasteBlack pepper 1 pinch
FOR BAKING AU GRATINGrana Padano cheese to taste
PREPARATION
To make the spinach and ricotta manicotti, start by making the egg pasta. Pour the flour into a bowl, setting a little aside. Lightly beat the egg, add to the bowl, and then work the mixture with your hands to combine all the ingredients. Now transfer the dough to a pastry board and keep working it, adding the flour you set aside as needed. Once you have a smooth, even dough that’s firm and elastic, shape it into a ball. At this point, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest for around one hour in a cool, dry place so that it develops the right elasticity. While the dough is resting, turn to the spinach. Pour the oil into a pot, add the garlic, let it brown and then remove it. Wash and drain the spinach well, then add it to the pot. Season with salt and let it cook, covered, for around 5 minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Once cooked, let the spinach cool. Meanwhile, prepare the bĂ©chamel sauce. First, warm the milk. Then add the butter to another pot and let it melt completely. Now sift the flour and, once the butter has melted, add it to the butter and stir vigorously. After a couple of minutes, you’ll get a hazelnut-colored roux. Remove the pot from the heat for a moment and slowly pour in the hot milk. Keep stirring and season the bĂ©chamel with a pinch of salt and pepper and some grated nutmeg. Continue to cook the bĂ©chamel over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until you get the desired consistency, then transfer to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The spinach will be cool by now; transfer to a cutting board and chop roughly with a knife. Place the chopped spinach in a large bowl, add the ricotta, stir with a fork, and then add the eggs. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Finally, add the grated cheese. Stir the ingredients together well. Now transfer this mixture to a pastry bag and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Take your egg pasta dough that’s rested and developed the right elasticity, and divide it in two. Roll each portion of dough through a dough sheeter to number 8 so you get a sheet about the thickness of a nickel coin (2 mm). If you don’t have a dough sheeter, you can roll out the dough by hand using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut the sheet into rectangles measuring 3½x5½ inches (9x14 cm), taking into account the length of your baking dish. Next, blanch your pasta rectangles one at a time in boiling, slightly salted water, for about 1 minute each. Drain and transfer to a tray covered with a clean kitchen cloth. Be sure to lay the pasta out perfectly, without the rectangles overlapping each other. If you’d like, you can also run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Place around 3½ Oz (100 g) of filling in the middle of the pasta, using the pastry bag. Then roll the pasta up onto itself to form a cylinder. Now spread 2 heaping spoonfulls of bĂ©chamel in a baking dish. Arrange your cannelloni in the dish and cover with the remaining bĂ©chamel, distributing it well. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake in a conventional oven preheated to 390°F (200°C) for around 15 minutes. Then switch to broiler mode at 450°F (230°C) and cook for another 5 minutes until a golden crust has formed on top. Your spinach and ricotta manicotti are now ready to be served piping hot!
STORAGEYou can keep your spinach and ricotta manicotti in the fridge for 1-2 days in an airtight container. You can freeze the manicotti either before cooking them, and then defrost in the fridge and cook in the oven, or after cooking them, and then defrost in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
TIPFor a more original filling, try using kale instead of spinach, and for an even crispier crust, sprinkle with Grana Padano or grated Caciocavallo cheese!
What makes spinach and ricotta manicotti such an irresistible first course dish? Its wholesome simplicity? The balance between the homemade fresh pasta and succulent filling? The golden crust on the delicious baked bĂ©chamel sauce? Or maybe the fact that it smells like home, like Sunday lunch of days gone by? I’ve given it some thought, but I haven’t been able to come up with just one answer: They’re all equally wonderful ingredients that make this recipe a real classic of Italian cuisine that’s loved by both old and young alike. Perfect for vegetarian menus or special occasions!
Sunday at lunch my boys asked me to make them baked pasta... Ok... but I wanted it a bit more greedy... So what... large format to be filled đ, I used a large and wavy dough format that with a teaspoon I had no difficulty filling, the Manicotti. I scraped together what I had in the refrigerator and I thought that ricotta and ham combined create a delicious cream that already alone and good... so who knows in a salty filling ?! Well... I prepared all the ingredients on the countertop and got to work. To be fair, it must be said that filling one sleeve at a time is not the job that is a candidate for the award for the best fun of the year. But the result is nothing, not bad, far from it. đ
INGREDIENTS
Flour ¾ cup (100 g)
Eggs 1 (55 g) - medium
FOR THE FILLING
Spinach ½ lb (250 g)
Cow's milk ricotta cheese ⅔ cup (150 g)
Eggs 1 - medium
Garlic 1 clove
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Grana Padano cheese ½ cup (50 g) - grated
Nutmeg 1 pinch
Black pepper to taste
Fine salt to taste
FOR THE BĂCHAMEL SAUCE
Whole milk 2 ¼ cups (500 g)
Flour ⅓ cup (37 g)
Butter 3 tbsp (50 g)
Fine salt 1 pinch
Nutmeg to taste
Black pepper 1 pinch
FOR BAKING AU GRATIN
Grana Padano cheese to taste
PREPARATION
To make the spinach and ricotta manicotti, start by making the egg pasta. Pour the flour into a bowl, setting a little aside. Lightly beat the egg, add to the bowl, and then work the mixture with your hands to combine all the ingredients. Now transfer the dough to a pastry board and keep working it, adding the flour you set aside as needed. Once you have a smooth, even dough that’s firm and elastic, shape it into a ball. At this point, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest for around one hour in a cool, dry place so that it develops the right elasticity. While the dough is resting, turn to the spinach. Pour the oil into a pot, add the garlic, let it brown and then remove it. Wash and drain the spinach well, then add it to the pot. Season with salt and let it cook, covered, for around 5 minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Once cooked, let the spinach cool. Meanwhile, prepare the bĂ©chamel sauce. First, warm the milk. Then add the butter to another pot and let it melt completely. Now sift the flour and, once the butter has melted, add it to the butter and stir vigorously. After a couple of minutes, you’ll get a hazelnut-colored roux. Remove the pot from the heat for a moment and slowly pour in the hot milk. Keep stirring and season the bĂ©chamel with a pinch of salt and pepper and some grated nutmeg. Continue to cook the bĂ©chamel over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until you get the desired consistency, then transfer to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The spinach will be cool by now; transfer to a cutting board and chop roughly with a knife. Place the chopped spinach in a large bowl, add the ricotta, stir with a fork, and then add the eggs. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Finally, add the grated cheese. Stir the ingredients together well. Now transfer this mixture to a pastry bag and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Take your egg pasta dough that’s rested and developed the right elasticity, and divide it in two. Roll each portion of dough through a dough sheeter to number 8 so you get a sheet about the thickness of a nickel coin (2 mm). If you don’t have a dough sheeter, you can roll out the dough by hand using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut the sheet into rectangles measuring 3½x5½ inches (9x14 cm), taking into account the length of your baking dish. Next, blanch your pasta rectangles one at a time in boiling, slightly salted water, for about 1 minute each. Drain and transfer to a tray covered with a clean kitchen cloth. Be sure to lay the pasta out perfectly, without the rectangles overlapping each other. If you’d like, you can also run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Place around 3½ Oz (100 g) of filling in the middle of the pasta, using the pastry bag. Then roll the pasta up onto itself to form a cylinder. Now spread 2 heaping spoonfulls of bĂ©chamel in a baking dish. Arrange your cannelloni in the dish and cover with the remaining bĂ©chamel, distributing it well. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake in a conventional oven preheated to 390°F (200°C) for around 15 minutes. Then switch to broiler mode at 450°F (230°C) and cook for another 5 minutes until a golden crust has formed on top. Your spinach and ricotta manicotti are now ready to be served piping hot!
STORAGE
You can keep your spinach and ricotta manicotti in the fridge for 1-2 days in an airtight container. You can freeze the manicotti either before cooking them, and then defrost in the fridge and cook in the oven, or after cooking them, and then defrost in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
TIP
For a more original filling, try using kale instead of spinach, and for an even crispier crust, sprinkle with Grana Padano or grated Caciocavallo cheese!
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