Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni.
Simple, delicious, nutritious.
The Tofu Ricotta recipe we’ve used here is to tasty and super versatile. Try it between lasagne sheets, or as a creamy sauce for spaghetti!
Serves 4
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
blender
kettle
large saucepan/frying pan/wok
piping bag/sandwich bag
oven-proof dish
Ingredients.
250g cannelloni tubes
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oil
250g baby spinach, washed
690g jar of passata, refill the jar halfway with water
Salt & pepper, to taste
Vegan cheese – mix of mozzarella & parmesan, for the topping (optional)
Tofu Ricotta
100g macadamia nuts, or cashews
280g extra-firm tofu, drained
½ tsp garlic granules
Juice of a whole lemon
½ tsp onion granules
½ tsp miso paste
20g nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
150ml plant milk, to help blend – you may not need it all
Method.
Preheat the oven to 200c (fan)
Boil the kettle and soak the nuts for around 10mins. If your blender is not especially powerful, it helps to soak the nuts for longer as this will give you a smoother ‘ricotta’
Make the tofu ricotta: Add the ricotta ingredients to the blender, except the milk. Blend on high, adding the milk a little at a time just to help the blender to run smoothly. Stop adding the milk when the blender is running freely without jarring, and the ricotta is becoming thick and creamy. You may not need the full 150ml
Meanwhile, finely dice the onion and garlic
Sauté the onion with the oil in a large pan for around 10mins until soft
Add the garlic and sauté for another 2-3mins
Add the spinach and sauté on high for another few minutes until fully wilted
Once most of the liquid has cooked out of the spinach, transfer the mixture to a chopping board and roughly chop it
Transfer it back into the pan (or a large mixing bowl) and add the ‘ricotta’. Stir thoroughly to combine
Spoon the spinach and ricotta filling into a piping bag. You could also use a large sandwich bag
Pour half the passata into the bottom of the oven proof dish and add a pinch of salt
Snip the end off the piping bag and fill the cannelloni tubes with the mixture one-by-one. Hold the tubes upright when filling, with the bottom resting on the dish in the passata. This will stop the mixture falling out the other end. Lay the filled tubes in the passata, arranging them to fit the shape of your dish. You may need to form 2 layers, depending on how big the dish is
Once all the tubes are full, top up the passata jar with water and give it a good shake. Pour this over the cannelloni tubes, ensuring they are all covered, and add a final pinch of salt. The extra water helps to ensure the pasta cooks and doesn’t dry out. The extra salt is needed as neither the passata nor the pasta are seasoned
Finally, top with a little plant-based cheese and place in the middle of the hot oven. Bake for 45-50mins. Check the pasta is cooked by inserting a knife all the way through the layers – it should be soft and pierce easily
Leave to stand for 5-10mins before serving
