I made my own tomto sauce, but you can just use a bottle of spaghetti sauce too! It is just to give it a yummy taste at the bottom, it is not a huge part of the meal!Ingredients:
Béchamel Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1½ cups whole milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg, to taste
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
1½ cups whole milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg, to taste
some salt and pepper to taste
Spinach And Ricotta Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil,
2 tbsp olive oil,
1 bunch fresh spinach - for meat use 1-2 chicken breast, boiled in chicken broth and shredded
1 lb ricotta cheese fresh or container by grated cheese
1 lb ricotta cheese fresh or container by grated cheese
⅓ bunch fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, (from pantry)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, (from pantry)
One bottle of prego spaghetti sause
cannelloni noodles
fresh grated parmesan cheese
Method:
To make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir for 3 minutes, or until thick. Slowly add the milk and stir constantly until the sauce is smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and thick. Season to taste with a little nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
To make the spinach and ricotta filling: Heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer the wilted spinach to a colander to drain off the excess liquid. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess moisture. Coarsely chop the spinach and mix it in a bowl with the ricotta and basil leaves. Season the spinach mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the cannelloni: Preheat the oven to 425. Spoon the pasta sauce over a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Spoon about ¼ cup of the spinach filling into one end of all the 8 cannelloni shells. Place the cannelloni over the pasta sauce. Top with a thick layer of the béchamel sauce to coat the cannelloni completely. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, save a small amount to add on top of cannelloni prior to serving.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and the cannelloni are heated through.
To make the béchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir for 3 minutes, or until thick. Slowly add the milk and stir constantly until the sauce is smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and thick. Season to taste with a little nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
To make the spinach and ricotta filling: Heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer the wilted spinach to a colander to drain off the excess liquid. Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess moisture. Coarsely chop the spinach and mix it in a bowl with the ricotta and basil leaves. Season the spinach mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the cannelloni: Preheat the oven to 425. Spoon the pasta sauce over a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Spoon about ¼ cup of the spinach filling into one end of all the 8 cannelloni shells. Place the cannelloni over the pasta sauce. Top with a thick layer of the béchamel sauce to coat the cannelloni completely. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, save a small amount to add on top of cannelloni prior to serving.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles and the cannelloni are heated through.
Let stand for 10 mins before serving!
French bread:
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