For my boyfriend’s pre-birthday dinner yesterday, he requested I make homemade canneloni. I have never made it before and was a bit nervous for how it would turn out…
My cheater’s trick: using fresh lasagne sheets instead of traditional canneloni noodle rolls. It was much easier than trying to fill the rolls, and was quicker to bake. The results were delicious!
Ingredients:
1 cup (250ml) tomato sauce (I home-made my own by heating olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar – cooked on a low heat for about 30 minutes)
600g ricotta (low-fat, if desired)
250g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/4 cup (20g) grated parmesan
salt and cracked black pepper
6 fresh lasagne sheets
3/4 cup tomato sauce (extra)
1 cup grated low fat mozzarella
1/3 cup (25g) grated parmesan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 28cm x 4cm-high ovenproof dish. Pour in tomato sauce, spreading evenly over base.
Place ricotta, spinach, parsley, basil, parmesan, salt and pepper in a large bowl, and mix to combine. I added a sprinkle of nutmeg for flavour.
1/3 cup of ricotta mixture along length of each lasagne sheet and roll up to form a tube. Lay tubes side by side in the dish. Spoon over extra tomato sauce to coat. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil.
Text: Lydia Parafianowicz