Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Ingredients

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• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion finely diced
• 2 clove garlic finely chopped
• 700 g (1.5 lb) tomato passata or strained tomatoes; crushed tomatoes, blended smooth, also work
• 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 400 g (14 oz) frozen leaf spinach about 9 oz (250 g) is left after thawing and squeezing
• 250 g (8.8 oz) ricotta well drained
• 40 g (1.4 oz) Parmesan finely grated; use a hard cheese made without animal rennet if you eat strictly vegetarian
• 1 clove garlic finely grated
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg freshly grated
• 0.75 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 egg large
• 16 dried cannelloni tubes no-boil, uncooked
• 30 g (1.1 oz) Parmesan finely grated

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) conventional, or 350 °F (180 °C) convection. Thaw the spinach in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes and let it cool. Then squeeze it hard in a sieve or kitchen towel until hardly any water comes out, and chop it finely.
2. For the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan, cook the onion for 3 minutes and add the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the passata, water, oregano and salt and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. For the filling, stir together the spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 oz (40 g) of the Parmesan, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper and taste it. Only then stir in the egg, and do not taste the filling once the raw egg is in.
4. Spoon the filling into a freezer bag and snip off one corner. Pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes right up to the rim. A teaspoon works too.
5. Pour half of the sauce (about 1 3/4 cups or 400 ml) into a baking dish, about 9 × 13 inches (23 × 33 cm). Set the filled tubes side by side on top and pour the remaining sauce over them until every tube is completely covered.
6. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
7. Remove the foil, sprinkle with 1 oz (30 g) of Parmesan and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and a knife slides into a tube without resistance. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tip: The spinach decides the filling: if water is left in it, the mixture turns runny and leaks from the tubes as they bake. After squeezing, the spinach should feel like a firm ball.

Tip: Uncooked tubes need liquid to cook. A tube that sticks out stays hard. If the sauce is not enough, pour 1/2 cup (100 ml) of water down the side of the dish.