Cannelloni ripieni - a scrumptious and filling vegetarian oven pasta dish made from pasta tubes (cannelloni) filled with spinach, ricotta and smothered in amazing fresh tomato pasta sauce then topped with sliced mozzarella.
Another week has disappeared and since last week I've been planning and cooking recipes of all sorts that I'll be posting little by little through the following weeks. Last week I posted two delicious recipes; la colazione italiana and la crostata all'albicocca. I hope you enjoyed those. Although I enjoy preparing breakfast and treats, we also need a main dish. So let's get on it.
In today's post, we have another authentic Italian classic dish. The cannelloni ripieni is a dish you could eat for both lunch or dinner. Normally, I enjoy preparing this dish on less busy days or during weekends as it takes a few extra minutes to fill in each tube of pasta. However, it's worth the time you spend making it as it's exquisite.
The shape of the cannelloni is similar to a cylinder. Usually, they're filled with a ricotta and spinach mixture, then covered with a fresh tomato sauce, topped with pieces of mozzarella and baked in the oven. Sometimes, they're also filled with meat. Regardless, today I decided to make the vegetarian style, filled with ricotta and spinach.
In addition to this wonderful recipe, find also lesson 6 - I numeri ordinali and enjoy learning a new topic in Italian.
Preparazione: 30 minuti
Cottura: 40-45 minuti
For: 4 people
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 40-45 minutes
Ingredienti
- 400gr spinaci
- 250gr ricotta
- 800gr sugo di pomodoro
- 2 cucchiaini di parmigiano grattugiato
- ½ mazzo di basilico fresco
- cannelloni (c. 20 tubi)
- 250gr mozzarella affettata
- 2 spicchi d'aglio
- dell'olio
- ¼ cucchiaino noce moscata
- pepe
- sale
Ingredients
- 400gr spinach leaves
- 250gr ricotta
- 800gr tomato sauce
- 2 tsps grated parmesan
- ½ bunch of fresh basil
- cannelloni (c. 20 tubes)
- 250gr sliced mozzarella
- 2 garlic cloves
- some oil
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- pepper
- salt
Metodo / Method
In una padella, a fuoco basso, mettete un filo d'olio e gli spinaci.
In a pan, on low heat, put a drizzle of oil and the spinach.
Condite con la noce moscata, sale e pepe. Coprite e lasciate a sudare. Mettete da parte in una ciotola e lasciate raffreddare.
Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cover and leave to sweat. Set aside in a bowl to cool down.
Nella stessa padella, con un filo d'olio, friggete l'aglio. Aggiungete il sugo di pomodoro e un paio di foglie di basilico. Lasciate sobbollire per 20 minuti fino a quando la salsa non si addensa. Condite con sale e pepe.
In the same pan, with a drizzle of oil, fry the garlic. Add the tomato sauce and a couple of basil leaves. Let it simmer for 20 minutes till the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
Spremete e togliete gli spinaci dal liquido. Tagliate gli spinaci in piccoli pezzi. Riportate gli spinaci nella ciotola e mescolate la ricotta e il parmigiano. Aggiustate di sale.
Squeeze and remove the spinach from the liquid. Cut the spinach in small pieces. Return the spinach to the bowl and mix in the ricotta and the parmesan. Adjust in salt.
Con un cucchiaino, riempite i cannelloni con il composto di spinaci. Mettete uno accanto all’altro in una teglia.
With a teaspoon, fill in the cannelloni with the spinach mixture. Place one next to the other in a baking dish.
Coprite i cannelloni con la salsa di pomodoro. Spargete il resto del basilico, le fette di mozzarella e dell’olio d’oliva. Cuocete per circa 40-45 minuti a 180˚C.
Cover the cannelloni with the tomato sauce. Spread the rest of the basil, the slices of mozzarella and some olive oil. Cook for about 40-45 minutes at 180˚C.
Togliete dal forno e lasciate riposare per qualche minuto prima di servire.
Remove from the oven and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.
Our first preparation for a typical Italian pasta dish is now done. Now, what's left is let it cook in the oven and share with family or friends. I'm sure this dish will not disappoint. I can assure you everyone will love it. Now that we're done with the recipe, let's go ahead and concentrate on today's new topic. As I mentioned before, today we're introducing ordinal numbers. So, go ahead and click the link below and find the lesson and worksheet for you to enjoy practising the topic.
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