Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Welcome back to another scrumptious pasta dish! On tonight's menu we have fresh, hearty spinach and ricotta cannelloni, baked in a gorgeous chilli passata sauce. This is a real 'throw together' recipe that looks spectacular when you pull it out of the oven - perfect for showing off to your dinner guests, or sharing with your family.

Unlike most of my dishes, this one doesn't have much room for adjustments, and that's mainly due to the fact there are so few ingredients and it's so damn simple. Although, my mum would like it noted she always put nutmeg in her cannelloni, so please feel free to honour her original recipe and include a sprinkle in the ricotta mixture.

You can definitely use fresh spinach for this recipe, but in its true throw together form, this uses the frozen version, which can be found in any supermarket. For your pasta sauce, find a passata that has no unnecessay additives like extra salt or sugar. I use Mutti (please sponsor me), which is 100% pure tomatoes. Below is my coveted pasta sauce recipe, which I have reluctantly included. If you're making this to have with penne or ravioli, simmer for a good 2 hours to experience the full flavour.

Ingredients:

For the Cannelloni:

• 8 Lasagna Sheets

• 300g Fresh Ricotta

• 200g Frozen Spinach

• 2 Tbs Freshly Grated Romano Cheese

• 1 Egg

• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

• Salt and Pepper, to season

For the Sauce:

• 750ml Passata

• 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

• 1 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes

• 1 Tbs Fresh Basil, Chopped

• 1 Tbs Rice Bran Oil

Let's Make This Cannelloni:

1. In a heavy based saucepan, heat oil and lightly fry off garlic and chilli. Add the passata, and 1/4 fill the bottle with water and pour into the pan. This will clean the bottle, and get out any leftover tomato goodness.

2. Throw in the basil and leave saucepan on a low simmer while the cannelloni are made.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add ricotta, spinach, romano, egg, and seasoning, and combine well. On a clean surface, lay out a lasagna sheet and put 2 heaped tablespoons of the mixture at the end of the sheet. Roll up completely and set aside. Repeat until all lasagna sheets are filled.

4. Using a shallow baking dish, pour in about a quarter of the sauce and use it to coat the dish.

5. Line up the filled lasagna sheets and pour the remaining sauce over the top. Make sure all edges of the pasta are covered to prevent any burning. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top and cover with foil.

6. Bake in oven for around 25 minutes, then remove foil and cook for a further 10 minutes, to allow the cheese on top to melt and turn golden brown.

7. Serve immediately, with extra romano cheese and fresh basil.