Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

We often make our own pasta here at school, but sometimes it’s easier to buy ready-made dried pasta – especially when you can stuff the round tubes  with yummy fillings!

Fresh from the garden: spinach, basil, garlic
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 4 or 24 tastes

What to do:

1. Please start all the initial elements ASAP as the dish will need to bake for 35 minutes!
2. Preheat oven to 200C.
3. Wash the spinach in a large bowl of water, changing several times and checking to make sure all leaves and stems are clean. Shake dry over the sink and then finely chop.
4. Peel the garlic and finely chop. Using the microplane, grate about half the nutmeg.
5. In a large frying pan heat oil and butter, add garlic and fry gently for one minute then add grated nutmeg, spinach and a pinch or two of salt and cook for a few minutes. Use the slotted spoon to scoop into a clean bowl and leave to cool.
6. Using the scales, weigh the parmesan and then grate it. Then weigh the ricotta.
7. Once spinach is cool add ricotta, parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
8. Using teaspoons or the end of a table knife, fill the cannelloni tubes with the spinach and ricotta mixture.
9. Weigh the mozzarella and grate it on the widest setting.
10. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into the baking dishes, then lay four filled cannelloni in each, then spoon over the rest of the tomato sauce.
11. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle over the parmesan and mozzarella.
12. Lay the dishes on to baking trays, then bake for about 35 minutes or until bubbling.
13. Line your serving plates with a piece of folded paper towel.
14. Carefully remove from the oven with oven gloves, place each on its own lined plate. You may want to slice each cannelloni tube in two to serve.

 Notes: What other baked pasta dishes do you know?