Quick, easy and delicious, you will absolutely love this spinach ricotta cannelloni! Packed with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling and topped with homemade Napoletana sauce and oozy, golden mozzarella, you can’t go wrong with this family favourite. Keep a few portions of this vegetarian classic in the freezer for the perfect midweek meal, any time.
Along with other classic Italian recipes like beef cheek ragu and baked meatballs, spinach and ricotta pasta (cannelloni ricotta e spinaci) is an ultra-comforting dish that is perfect alongside a simple salad for an easy midweek meal.
Like this sweet potato and halloumi pasta, it is suitable for vegetarians and perfect for a flavourful meat-free family dinner.
The whole dish takes just over an hour to make from start to finish – and most of that is oven time! There is a little assembly required, but everything can be prepared ahead of time for an easy midweek dinner.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Freezer friendly. Keep a few serves in the freezer for a last-minute lunch or dinner.
- Ultra-comforting. Served with a salad like this pumpkin and rocket salad or some herby garlic bread, it makes the ultimate comfort dinner.
- Step by step instructions. Follow this easy-to-follow guide on how to fill cannelloni with minimal fuss.
- Flavour-packed. Filled with a creamy, nutmeg laced ricotta filling and baked to perfection under golden melted cheese, this pasta makes for a restaurant quality dish that everyone will love!
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Spinach – this recipe uses a combination of both fresh and frozen spinach. However, you can modify depending on what you have available. Allow the frozen spinach to thaw before adding it to the mixture (to speed up the process, frozen spinach can be defrosted in the microwave). Squeeze any excess water from the spinach before adding it to the filling to prevent the mixture from becoming too wet.
- Ricotta – use a food quality, full-fat ricotta for best results in both flavour and texture. Low-fat ricotta will dry out and won’t be as creamy.
- Mozzarella and parmesan cheese – I recommend using fresh blocks of cheese that are freshly grated. This is because packaged shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agent that will prevent it from melting as nicely. **Note: use a vegetarian version of parmesan if you require vegetarian pasta.
- Cannelloni tubes – are large, tube-shaped pasta. Ready-to-fill, dried cannelloni tubes can be found in most supermarkets in the pasta section. While you can make your own fresh pasta and roll it, ready-made tubes will save you so much time! Dried cannelloni doesn’t need to be cooked first, you can add the filling to the dried tubes and they will soften in the tomato sauce as they bake.
- Nutmeg – ground nutmeg is used for flavour and really brings out the creaminess in the ricotta. I use 1 and a half teaspoons so that the nutmeg flavour shines through, but you can use less if preferred.
Step by step guide
To make the spinach and ricotta filling;
Squeeze the thawed spinach in your hands to remove any excess water. ** This step is important, as frozen spinach contains (a lot of!) excess liquid that will make the filling runny.
Very finely chop the fresh spinach.
Add the filling ingredients into a large mixing bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper and mix everything together until thoroughly combined.
To make the simple Napoletana sauce;
Cook the garlic and onion in a pan with some olive oil until fragrant. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.
To fill the cannelloni;
The easiest way to fill the cannelloni tubes is with a piping bag or by cutting the corner off a disposable bag and piping it in.
To assemble;
Layer half of the tomato sauce in a large baking dish and arrange the cannelloni tubes in a single layer over the top. The pasta needs to be completely covered with the sauce to ensure it has enough liquid to absorb while cooking.
Add the remaining tomato sauce and top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Add a little water to the prepared dish to help soften the pasta without drying the sauce.
Bake as per the recipe in the card below. Cover the dish loosely with foil for 40 minutes, before removing it and baking for a further 10 minutes for the cheese to become golden and bubbly. This prevents the dish from drying out too much and the cheese from browning too quickly.
Full recipe steps and instructions can be found in the card below.
Expert tips
- Storage; keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To re-heat, pre-heat your oven to 200 C/392 F. Place the cannelloni in an oven dish and cover with foil. Heat for 15-20 minutes or until steaming hot. Cannelloni can also be reheated in the microwave in individual serves.
- Spinach and ricotta lasagne; This dish can also be made into a lasagne if you don’t want to fill the pasta tubes. To do this, simply follow steps below to prepare the spinach and ricotta filling and the Napoletana sauce. Then, layer fresh lasagne sheets with alternating layers of the filling and the sauce and top with the shredded cheese. Bake as per the instructions in the recipe card below.
- This recipe makes a very generous 8 serves. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- To fill the cannelloni tubes, use a piping bag (or add the filling to a large zip-lock bag and cut the corner) to squeeze the filling directly into the tubes. Piping the mixture into the pasta tubes ensures minimal mess and it is much faster than trying to spoon it in.
FAQs
Cannelloni does not need to be cooked before filling. The dry tubes will soften in the oven in whichever sauce that it is placed in.
I like to use a piping bag to squeeze the filling directly into the pasta tubes. It is the quickest and easiest way to fill the tubes with minimal mess. Ensure that the hole in the piping bag is small enough that the chopped pieces of spinach can pass through.
To get a head start on dinner, cannelloni can be filled earlier in the day (or the day before). Then follow the steps below to layer then with sauce and cheese and bake when needed. Alternatively, you can bake the cannelloni and allow it to cool completely before covering and adding to the fridge. Then, simply re-heat in the oven when you are ready to eat.
Yes! Cannelloni is a great dish to make ahead and freeze. First, allow the pasta to cool completely and either freeze it whole, or in individual serves in airtight containers for up to 3 months. It can either be re-heated in the oven or in the microwave. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then re-heat to steaming hot before serving.
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Baked Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
Ingredients
- 24-26 dried cannelloni tubes around 300 grams. Or, you can use fresh lasagne sheets instead.
For the filling
- 1 ½ cups frozen spinach 250 grams. Thawed.
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves 120 grams. Roughly chopped.
- 3 cups fresh ricotta full fat, approx 750 grams.
- 1 whole egg
- 5 egg yolks
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ⅔ cup fresh parmesan cheese grated. Swap parmesan for a vegetarian cheese, if a vegetarian dish is required.
- salt and pepper
- 1 ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp lemon zest finely grated
For the tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes canned, 400 grams.
- 2 ½ cups passata 700 gram jar
- ⅓ cup fresh basil chopped
- salt and pepper
For topping
- 2-3 cups fresh mozzarella grated
- ⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese finely grated
- ½ cup water
To serve
- extra basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180 °C (350 F).
For the spinach and ricotta filling
- Using your hands, squeeze and discard any excess water from the defrosted spinach.
- Place all of the filling ingredients along with the fresh and frozen spinach into a large mixing bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix until creamy and completely combined. Set aside.
For the tomato sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, salt and pepper and stir until the softened and fragrant (around 2 minutes).
- Add the canned tomatoes, passata and basil and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To assemble
- Add half of the tomato sauce to the bottom of a large, deep baking dish. (I used a 25 cm x 35 cm baking dish, but you can also use two smaller baking dishes and divide the sauce and pasta between both).
- Add the ricotta filling to a large piping bag (or cut a hole in the corner of a disposable bag) and pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes.
- Assemble the tubes evenly along the bottom of the baking dish (over the tomato sauce) in a single layer.
- Top the cannelloni tubes with the remaining tomato sauce and ensure that they are completely covered.
- Top with the shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and carefully pour ½ cup of water over the top to soak into the sides. Cover the dish loosely with foil.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil cover and return the cannelloni to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes, until the pasta has softened and the cheese has browned and become bubbly.
- Serve immediately and top with some more fresh basil. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage; keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To re-heat, pre-heat your oven to 200 C/392 F. Place the cannelloni in an oven dish and cover with foil. Heat for 15-20 minutes or until steaming hot. Cannelloni can also be reheated in the microwave in individual serves.
- This dish can also be made into a lasagne if you don’t want to fill the pasta tubes. To do this, simply follow steps below to prepare the spinach and ricotta filling and the Napoletana sauce. Then, layer fresh lasagne sheets with alternating layers of the filling and the sauce and top with the shredded cheese. Then bake as per the instructions in the recipe card below.
- This recipe makes a very generous 8 serves. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- To fill the cannelloni tubes, use a piping bag (or add the filling to a large zip-lock bag and cut the corner) to squeeze the filling directly into the tubes. Piping the mixture into the pasta tubes ensures minimal mess and it is much faster than trying to spoon it in.
- Cannelloni does not need to be cooked before filling. The dry tubes will soften in the oven in whichever sauce that it is placed in.
- To get a head start on dinner, cannelloni can be filled earlier in the day (or the day before). Then follow the steps below to layer then with sauce and cheese and bake when needed.
- Freezing; Cannelloni is a great dish to make ahead and freeze. First, allow the pasta to cool completely and either freeze it whole, or in individual serves in airtight containers for up to 3 months. It can either be re-heated in the oven or in the microwave. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then re-heat to steaming hot before serving.
- Spinach – this recipe uses a combination of both fresh and frozen spinach. However, you can modify depending on what you have available. Allow the frozen spinach to thaw before adding it to the mixture (to speed up the process, frozen spinach can be defrosted in the microwave). Squeeze any excess water from the spinach before adding it to the filling to prevent the mixture from becoming too wet.
- Use a food quality, fill-fat ricotta for best results in both flavour and texture. Low-fat ricotta will dry out and won’t be as creamy.
- Cannelloni tubes – are large, tube-shaped pasta. Dried cannelloni tubes that are ready to fill can be found in most supermarkets in the pasta section. Dried cannelloni doesn’t need to be cooked first, you can add the filling to the dried tubes and they will soften in the tomato sauce as they bake.
- Mozzarella and parmesan cheese – I recommend using fresh blocks of cheese that are freshly grated. This is because packaged shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agent that will prevent it from melting as nicely.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the recipe making 8 serves. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or cheese added to the pasta.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in September 2019, but was re-published with new information, helpful tips and photos in December 2021.
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
A delicious, warming comfort food! What a lovely recipe 🙂 The whole family will enjoy this one!
TheCookingCollective says
Thank you so much Alexandra! It is a wonderful comfort food in the colder weather 🙂
Marcellina says
I love spinach and ricotta cannelloni and yours look so good, Andrea! Thanks for the shout out! xx
TheCookingCollective says
Thank you so much Marcellina! It is one of my favourites. Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe too. They would pair perfectly together for a dinner party!