Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Imagine coming home to this Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni…… a juicy spinach and ricotta filling inside cannelloni pasta tubes, topped with a simple homemade tomato basil sauce and melted cheese.

Along with this slow cooked Beef Lasagna and Vegetable Lasagna, Cannelloni is one of my signature cosy-food recipes!

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

This is one of my go-to freezer meals I make to give to friends, and a great one to make for dinners to cater for both carnivores and vegetarians.

I make it often throughout most of the year, except perhaps at the very height of summer. Yes, I love cannelloni that much!

What is cannelloni??

Cannelloni is a tube shaped dry pasta about 7 cm / 3″ long and 2cm / 2/3″ wide. It is stuffed with filling, covered in a sauce and cheese then baked. It does not need to be cooked before filling, it softens when baked in the oven.

The most common variety is a spinach and ricotta filling topped with a tomato sauce which is the version I am sharing today.

What’s the difference between cannelloni and manicotti?

Manicotti is also a dry paste tube. It’s the Italian-American version of cannelloni.  The difference is that manicotti is larger with ridges, whereas cannelloni is smooth.

The spinach and ricotta filling in this recipe fills 18 – 22 cannelloni tubes, or 10 – 12 manicotti tubes.

There are two ways to make cannelloni:

• stuffing dry pasta tubes
• rolling the filling up in fresh lasagna sheets

I like using the tubes – partly because they are more cost effective. And also because I like the size – a better filling to pasta/sauce/cheese ratio. Lasagna sheets are thicker and you need a double layer where the sheets overlap to seal in the filling and inevitably, the cannellonis end up bigger.

Easiest way to fill cannelloni tubes

And I know what many of you are thinking – stuffing the tubes is a pain. 

After many years of using knives / thin spoons / combination of those + the end of wooden spoons and I finally accepted the inevitable fact:

The fastest way to fill the tubes is with a piping bag.
7 seconds per tube x 20 tubes = 2.3 minutes. (Watch the video!)

The Spinach and Ricotta Filling

The Spinach and Ricotta Filling is creamy, has the perfect spinach to ricotta ratio, and made extra tasty with the addition of parmesan and cheese. It’s so good, I can eat spoonfuls of it straight out of the bowl!

Here’s what’s in it:

• Spinach – use frozen for convenience (thaw, remove excess water before using), or fresh if you’ve got an abundance of it;
• Ricotta – be sure to use a food quality full fat, creamy one. (Tip: avoid Perfect Italiano tub, it’s quite powdery and unpleasant)
• Shredded cheese – a flavoured one is best, like cheddar, tasty. Save the mozzarella for the topping.
• Parmesan – don’t skip this! It adds extra savouriness and seasoning to the filling. Just store bought finely shredded or grated is fine, or grate your own.
• Garlic – because it makes everything better
• Egg – for binding (can be skipped)
• Nutmeg – optional, but it’s a lovely touch. I use it in almost all my spinach ricotta fillings.
• Salt and pepper

This is my standard recipe that is virtually identical (if not identical) to what I use for all things spinach and ricotta, from this Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake, to Puff Pasty Puffs, Rotolo (it’s like upright cannelloni – and it’s amazing!), to Spinach Ricotta Rolls.

Can you freeze spinach and ricotta filling?

YES, it’s perfectly fine to freeze. If using to stuff something, then thaw, give it a good mix then use per recipe. If it’s already prepared, like Cannelloni, it can even be cooked from frozen.

I freeze cannelloni more often than cooking it fresh!

Sauce for Cannelloni

Cannelloni has to be smothered generously with sauce to ensure there’s enough liquid for the dry pasta tubes to absorb and cook in the oven. The most common sauce is a tomato pasta sauce which is what I use.

There are recipes “out there” that say to just use plain canned tomatoes or tomato passata for the topping (or bottled pasta sauce).

I really, REALLY think that if you’re making the effort to making cannelloni, it is a no brainer to make a tiny extra effort to make a simple pasta sauce.

“Simple” being the operative word here. It’s just garlic + onion + crushed tomato + water, simmer for a bit, then stir through fresh basil or dried herbs at the end.

Option: Load up on extra spinach

You can double the spinach in this, if you want. It can take it, plus you will use up an entire box of cannelloni tubes. They come in boxes of 30 here in Australia, and it is kind of annoying to end up with 10 or so floating around in the pantry, which then motivates me to make another batch just to use them up, then I end up with more tubes leftover so I have to make another batch.

Serve Cannelloni with a simple garden salad tossed with Italian Dressing. For a blow-out Italian feast, add a side of Garlic Bread, or a quick Cheesy Garlic Bread! – Nagi x

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni recipe video! (Oh my Baby Hands…. these are the worst kind of recipe videos! 😂)

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Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni

Author: Nagi

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 35 mins

Total: 1 hr

Mains

American-Italian, Western

5 from 49 votes

Servings5 - 6 people

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Recipe VIDEO above. Juicy, perfectly seasoned spinach and ricotta filling inside cannelloni pasta tubes, topped with a simple, tasty tomato sauce and melted cheese. Great for freezing!

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 800 g / 28 oz crushed tomato
• 1 cup water (swirl in tomato can to clean out)
• 3/4 tsp salt + pepper to taste
• Handful basil leaves , torn, or 1 tsp dried herbs (e.g. Italian mix, oregano, thyme, basil)

Filling:

• 250 g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed (Note 1)
• 500 g / 1 lb ricotta , full fat please (Note 2)
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss)
• 1 egg
• 1 large garlic clove , minced
• Grated fresh nutmeg (just a sprinkling) or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper , each

Cannelloni

• 18 - 22 dried cannelloni tubes (Note 3)
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella
• More basil , for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Sauce:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until translucent. Add tomato, water, salt and pepper. 
• Stir, reduce heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes. Optional: add 1/2 cup water and blend sauce until smooth (I do this for guests!).
• Stir through basil or dried herbs. Set aside.

Filling:

• Place spinach in a colander and press out most of the liquid (don't need to thoroughly squeeze dry).
• Place Spinach in bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix, taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste (different cheeses have different saltiness).

Assemble & Bake:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
• Choose a baking pan which will comfortably fit about 20 cannelloni - mine is 21 x 26 cm / 8.5 x 10.5".
• Spread a bit of Sauce on the base.
• Transfer Filling to a piping bag with a large nozzle (that fits in the tubes), or use a strong ziplock bag. Or do this step using a knife (it's a bit tedious though!).
• Pipe the filling into the tubes. Place in baking dish.
• Pour over remaining Sauce, covering all the tubes. Cover with foil, then bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil, scatter over cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Serve, garnished with extra basil if desired.

Recipe Notes:

1. Spinach - I use frozen spinach for the convenience and also because I'm a sucker for the whole "snap frozen" thing. To use fresh, use about 500g/1 lb sliced spinach leaves or baby spinach leaves, saute with a little oil to wilt down and remove excess liquid. Cool then proceed with recipe.

2. Ricotta - Low fat ricotta is harder and drier, so it's more difficult to pipe into the tubes plus once baked, is not as juicy and moist. Avoid Perfect Italian brand in tubs. My favourite is Paesanella.

3. Cannelloni - The cannelloni tubes I use are the dried ones sold in boxes at supermarkets and delis. They are about 11 cm / 4" long and 2.5cm / 1" wide. They do not need to be boiled before cooking in the oven. 

This recipe can also be used for manicotti which are larger tubes with ridges - use 10 to 12.

You can also make this using fresh lasagna sheets. Just roll Filling up inside, place in the baking pan seam side down. I prefer using dried tubes - refer in post for the reason why.

4. For FREEZING or refrigerating uncooked: Add extra 3/4 cup water* into Sauce, cook Sauce per recipe then blend* until smooth. Place filled, uncooked cannelloni in single or multiple dishes, cover with sauce (will look like LOTS!) then cheese. Cover, cool then freeze / refrigerate.

On the day of, thaw then bake per recipe (covered then uncovered). OR bake from frozen, bake covered 35 minutes then uncovered 10 minutes.

* The reason for extra water and blending: When uncooked cannelloni is assembled, the dry pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it freezes. If you don't add extra water, the sauce dries up once baked. Blending also helps here, plus it brings the sauce together better so it doesn't split when thawed.

COOKED leftovers - refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze, thaw, then reheat covered in microwave for best results.

5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. 

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 407gCalories: 531kcal (27%)

Keywords: Cannelloni, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

LIFE OF DOZER

Remember how I shared his current favourite toy – this squeaking emoji? Did I mention his favourite place to gnaw away at it? Smack bang in the middle of the new day bed. He literally plonks himself in the middle.

And please… someone remind me why I got a DARK GREY one??? 🙄

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