Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Step 1
Start by preparing the filling. Wash the spinach thoroughly, cut the stems very finely, and roughly chop the leaves. Finely chop the garlic cloves.

Step 2
In a large frypan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add half of the spinach to the pan and season with half of the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the remaining spinach, salt and pepper and stir until all the spinach is wilted and any moisture has evaporated. Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander to cool and drain off any excess moisture. You can speed this up by placing the colander in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, gently press it down in the colander to remove as much moisture as possible.

Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Grate in the parmesan and add the ricotta, nutmeg, oregano, and the spinach mixture. Mix well to combine, then taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

For The Tomato Sauce
Step 4
Add the tins of tomatoes to a medium bowl and crush with a potato masher or your hands. Pick out any tough bits and set aside. Pick the basil leaves from the stem and set both aside. Finely chop the garlic cloves.

Step 5
In a large saucepan over low heat, add the olive oil, basil stems and garlic. Cook low and slow for 5 minutes until smelling really delicious. Be sure to keep the heat low, you don’t want to burn the garlic as this will ruin the flavour of the sauce.

Step 6
Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to the saucepan. Fill one of the tomato tins 3/4 of the way up with water and add to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes until slightly reduced.

Step 7
Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. If the tomatoes are a bit acidic, add 1 /2 tsp of sugar to the sauce and mix well. Use tongs to remove the basil stems. Add the basil leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes until the basil leaves have wilted, then turn off the heat.

To Assemble
Step 8
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Choose a large rectangular baking dish about 25cm x 30cm and practice laying the unfilled cannelloni tubes down – play around and find the best arrangement to fit the maximum amount of cannelloni tubes comfortably in one layer in multiple rows. Then remove the cannelloni tubes and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce to cover the bottom, about a third of the sauce.

Step 9
Transfer the filling to a piping bag if you have one, otherwise you can use a teaspoon. Fill the cannelloni tubes with the spinach-ricotta mixture and arrange in rows in a single layer on top of the tomato sauce. The tubes should be snug but not too tight to allow the pasta to cook evenly.

Step 10
Cover the cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle the grated parmesan and roughly tear the bocconcini over the top. Cover tightly with aluminium foil.

Step 11
Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes uncovered, until the cheese is golden and the pasta tubes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Step 12
When cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.