Ricotta & Spinach Cannelloni

📝 Ingredients

• 1 pack fresh lasagne sheets (250 g)
• 600 g frozen whole-leaf spinach
• 500 g ricotta
• 1 egg
• 50 g grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 brown onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes (800 g)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 ball mozzarella (125 g)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• 30 × 20 cm baking dish
• Large frying pan
• Saucepan
• Mixing bowl
• Colander
• Aluminium foil

📖 Steps

1. Thaw the spinach in the large frying pan over a medium heat for 8 to 10 min, stirring, until the water has evaporated. Tip into the colander, leave to cool slightly, then press hard with the back of a spoon: a filling that's too wet makes the pasta soggy.
2. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and garlic. In the saucepan, soften them in the olive oil over a medium heat for 3 min, then add the chopped tomatoes and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 min over a low heat.
3. Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Roughly chop the squeezed spinach, then mix it in the mixing bowl with the ricotta, egg, 30 g Parmesan and nutmeg. Season and taste: the filling should be well seasoned.
4. Spread a third of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. This layer of sauce is essential: it cooks the pasta from underneath and stops it sticking to the dish.
5. Divide the filling between the lasagne sheets, cutting the largest ones in half: place a log of filling along the short side of each sheet, then roll it up loosely to form a tube. Lay it in the dish, seam-side down, packing the rolls tightly against each other.
6. Cover with the rest of the tomato sauce, making sure all the pasta is well covered: any exposed bits harden in the oven. Scatter over the drained mozzarella, torn into pieces, then sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan.
7. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 min at 190 °C. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 min, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
8. Check they're done by inserting the tip of a knife into a cannelloni: the pasta should be tender. Leave to rest for 5 min out of the oven before serving, so the sauce settles and the cannelloni hold their shape.