Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

A rich and comforting vegetarian dish from Sarah Tuck, perfect for a rainy spring day.

My teenage son has a gorgeous vegetarian friend, Soraya, who has now left New Zealand on a year of grand adventure. We will miss her so much, but at least we can still enjoy some of the recipes her vegetarianism inspired, like this one which I originally made for her. The recipe looks long and scary, but it is so simple, I promise. 

Bechamel Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter 

4 tablespoons plain flour

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 bay leaf

plenty of sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Filling:

600g frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

375g ricotta

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 garlic clove

crushed sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Tomato sauce:

700g jar passata (crushed, sieved tomatoes)

200g tin chopped tomatoes

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon caster sugar

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup vegetable stock or water 270g cannelloni tubes (I use the ones that don't need pre-cooking)

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

1/2 cup pinenuts

Oven dish, 32cm x 26cm, lightly oiled

Preheat oven to 180˚C (350˚F)

Serves 6

You can make the Bechamel sauce on the stove top or in the microwave. Either way, melt the butter, add flour and whisk to a firm paste. Add the milk in two lots, whisking to combine until well mixed. Keep stirring while cooking on the stove top (or in between bursts in the microwave) until thickened and smooth. If it misbehaves, just keep whisking - it should finish thick and silky. Add the Parmesan, bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine. Leave to cool while you prepare the filling and tomato sauce.  

To make the filling, simply whizz together the ingredients in a food processor. Done. 

The tomato sauce is similarly simple - just pour everything into the oven dish and give it a whisk around with a fork. For the next step, if you have a big piping bag, use it, otherwise put your filling in a sturdy plastic bag and snip a cm off the corner and use this to pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes. As you fill them, line them up snugly on top of the sauce. Cover with Bechamel sauce (remove bay leaf first) and bake for 30 minutes.

Top with fresh mozzarella and pinenuts and a good seasoning of sea salt and black pepper, and cook a further 10 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve with a simple green salad.