Riccota and Spinach Stuffed Cannelloni

These days I tailor my dinners around what's on sale at the grocery store. Don't get me wrong my Sunshine, but taking care of you (Alexis) and trying to come up with a meal, the mortgage strapping our budget, and me on maternity leave, being cost effective as well as saving on time and labour makes meal preparation a living hell. So I saw a few things on sale and decided I would try this cannelloni. You're right; it's not a quick dish you whip up, but if you do things in steps, you can bring it all together before you're ready to cook.

Alexis, you are a handful, and I can't plan anything that takes longer than fifteen minutes before I have to tend to you in some way. So in choosing what I make this family for dinner, I need to be aware of your needs. Cleaning chicken? Not really a great option unless I'm using legs or breasts - less cleaning. So with this cannelloni, no meat preparation and all done in steps.

Ricotta Spinach Filling

Stuffed and Arranged in Trays

What was on sale? Spinach. Ricotta was still pricey, but you don't need a lot. And I had most of the other ingredients at home. Your spices and herbs make all the difference as well. How did I manage in steps? I prepared the filling the day before. Brought all the pantry ingredients to the kitchen ready for a mad dash to complete as much as I could. I use 'oven ready' pasta which makes all the difference when you're not able to give them your full attention and risk their splitting as you fill them, and just soaking them in a large bowl of cold water is a great prep before baking. I prepped the baking dish. I used a pastry piping bag to fill the cannelloni. I used a canned (gasp) sauce instead of homemade. Come on, when you have a baby to take care of, shortcuts are acceptable. You're not wonder woman, so don't try to bite off more than you can chew. Mom taught me that. Then again, she can whip up a delicious feast in a few hours and make it look like child's play. If she's willing to use shortcuts, who am I to argue?

2 Cans of Sauce

1 Can of Sauce

The most time intensive preparation is stuffing the cannelloni, and as long as you have enough sauce to cover, the rest is super easy. I thought I could get away with one can, but as you can see, it would have been a disaster. The pasta would have dried to a gummy crisp.

Baked - You could see the sour cream holds where the sauce cracks and allows it to become thick and sweet.

I have to admit, when Kayla saw what we were having for dinner she was super excited. I haven't seen her that excited in quite a while. Everyone went back for seconds. Between the three of us, we finished the first tray. I guess this recipe is a keeper.

You just have to trust me when I say this plate contains three cannelloni.

Ricotta Spinach Filling:
1 Tub Riccotta
4 pkgs Frozen Spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Black Pepper (freshly ground)
1 tsp Sea Salt (freshly ground)

Cannelloni:
2 pkgs Cannelloni
2 cans Tomato Sauce
1 cup Sour Cream
5 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper (freshly ground)
4 tbsp Olive Oil


Directions (Ricotta Spinach Filling):
Thaw spinach and strain all water.
In a bowl, mix spinach, nutmeg, black pepper and sea salt.
Add ricotta and grated Parmesan and mix well.
Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the whole egg.
Beat the egg and then incorporate into the mixture.
Refrigerate until required (I did the mixture two days in advance).
When ready to stuff pasta, spoon mixture into a pastry bag with no nozzle attached.

Directions (Cannelloni):
Preheat oven to 350`F.
Fill a big bowl with cold water and soak the cannelloni noodles.
Grease two trays with olive oil.
Spoon enough tomato sauce to coat the trays.
Using the pastry bag, pipe gently into one end of a horizontal cannelloni, making sure your palm covers the other opening. Do not press bag into pasta - this will break the cannelloni.
Place the pasta into the tray.
Repeat this until all cannelloni have been stuffed and they are close (but not touching) in the tray.
Mix sour cream and minced garlic.
Coat the top and sides of all pasta with the sour cream mixture.
Sprinkle trays with salt, pepper and oregano.
Top all pasta with tomato sauce. I add about a half cup of water to each tray to make sure the sauce will get into each little nook to ensures a moist and saucy pasta.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Turn off the oven and leave it without opening the door until ready to serve.