Cannelloni al Forno

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Origin

• Region: Central Italy / Emilia-Romagna

• Historical Context: A classic Sunday family dinner dish, developed during the turn of the 20th century as an evolution of stuffed rolled crepes or fresh egg pasta wrappers.

Description

Large, hollow cylinders of fresh egg pasta stuffed to the brim with a savory filling of creamy ricotta cheese, blanched spinach, and nutmeg. The tubes are nestled into a baking pan between layers of bright tomato sauce and silky béchamel before being baked until bubbling.

Presentation

Served hot on long rectangular plates, placing two or three stuffed cannelloni per person. Spoon a little extra of the pink-blended tomato and béchamel sauce over the top, garnished with fresh basil.

Ingredients

• 12 sheets of fresh egg pasta (approx. 4x5 inches each)

• 500g fresh sheep's milk ricotta cheese (drained)

• 300g fresh spinach leaves

• 1 large egg

• 80g Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

• Fine sea salt and cracked black pepper

For the Baking Base:

• 400ml simple tomato passata sauce

• 400ml smooth béchamel sauce (see Lasagna recipe for details)

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Prep the Spinach: Wilt the spinach leaves in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Transfer the wilted spinach to a colander and let it cool. Using your hands, squeeze the spinach forcefully to extract every drop of water, then chop it very fine.

2. Mix the Filling: In a large bowl, combine the drained ricotta, chopped spinach, egg, grated Parmigiano, a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Stir vigorously until smooth. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag for easy assembly.

3. Blanch Pasta: Blanch the fresh pasta sheets in boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Shock them in cold water and lay them out flat on clean, damp towels.

4. Stuff and Roll: Pipe a generous log of the ricotta-spinach filling along the short edge of each pasta sheet. Roll the pasta tightly around the filling to form a neat tube or cylinder with overlapping edges.

5. Sauce the Base: Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with a mixture of half the tomato sauce and half the béchamel.

6. Assemble and Bake: Arrange the stuffed cannelloni tubes tightly side-by-side in a single layer in the baking dish, seam-side down to prevent them from opening. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce and béchamel evenly over the top of the tubes, and dust with extra Parmigiano. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is deeply golden brown.

Optional Variations

• Cannelloni di Carne: Substitute the spinach and ricotta filling with a dense mix of sautéed minced beef, pork, and mortadella bound together with egg and cheese.

Cooking Tips

• Squeezing the water out of the cooked spinach is absolutely critical. If left wet, the filling will turn watery and leak out of the tubes during baking.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 460 kcal

• Carbohydrates: 32g

• Protein: 24g

• Fat: 26g

• Saturated Fat: 14g

• Cholesterol: 110mg

• Sodium: 580mg