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spinach and ricotta cannelloni on a plate with basil and cheese
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5 from 2 votes

Baked Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Quick, easy and delicious, you will absolutely love this spinach and 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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8
Calories: 586kcal
Author: Andrea Geddes

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. This recipe makes a very generous 8 serves. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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

Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 217mg | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 857mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5890IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 543mg | Iron: 5mg