Cheesy Spinach Cannelloni Food

SPINACH RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until translucent. Add tomato, water, salt and pepper.
• Stir, reduce heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes. Optional: add 1/2 cup water and blend sauce until smooth (I do this for guests!).
• Stir through basil or dried herbs. Set aside.
• Place spinach in a colander and press out most of the liquid (don't need to thoroughly squeeze dry).
• Place Spinach in bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix, taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste (different cheeses have different saltiness).
• Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
• Choose a baking pan which will comfortably fit about 20 cannelloni - mine is 21 x 26 cm / 8.5 x 10.5".
• Spread a bit of Sauce on the base.
• Transfer Filling to a piping bag with a large nozzle (that fits in the tubes), or use a strong ziplock bag. Or do this step using a knife (it's a bit tedious though!).
• Pipe the filling into the tubes. Place in baking dish.
• Pour over remaining Sauce, covering all the tubes. Cover with foil, then bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil, scatter over cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Serve, garnished with extra basil if desired.

GREEN CANNELONI STUFFED WITH RICOTTA CHEESE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Cut pasta into 5-inch squares and parboil in water for a minute or a minute and a half. Transfer to a bowl of cold water. Spread in one layer over cloth towels. Make Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter, stir in flour and add milk slowly. Heat until mixture thickens. Set aside. Make Spinach: Parboil spinach leaves until just wilted. Drain. Cool and squeeze out moisture and chop. Saute 1/3 cup minced shallots in 2 tablespoons butter. Add parboiled spinach and saute gently until spinach has absorbed butter. Season with salt and pepper. Make Ricotta Filling: Blend ricotta cheese with parmesan. Add eggs and egg yolks and spinach filling. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. To assemble: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a large gratin dish or two smaller ones. (Canneloni are baked in a single layer, snuggly set-in but not overlapping). Spoon some filling down the center of a parboiled pasta square, spread to 1/2-inch of edges, roll up and transfer, seam side down to the gratin dish. Ladle Bechamel over top and sprinkle with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan. Dot with 4 tablespoons chilled cubed butter and bake on upper center rack of oven for 15 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Can serve with extra grated Parmesan.

MUSHROOM , SPINACH, AND CHEESE STUFFED CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Saute onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, and garlic in olive oil 3-5 minutes.
• Mix ingredients in step 2 with ricotta, mozzarella (use all but one cup), parsley, eggs, salt, and white pepper.
• Pour filling into two 1-quart size Ziploc baggies.
• In an 8x12 baking dish spread 1/3 of the jar of pasta sauce on the bottom (just a light coat on the bottom so the pasta won't stick).
• Cut one corner on the Ziploc baggie and slowly squeeze the mix into each pasta shell and put filled shell in the baking dish (I had to squeeze in one side and then turn and squeeze in the other side).
• Pour the rest of the jar of pasta sauce on top of shells (If I have leftover filling, I squeeze it over the top first).
• Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan.
• Cook for 30 minutes.

FOUR CHEESE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• For Vegetarian please read step 8 and omit the turkey.
• Preheated oven @ 350F or can be microwaved.
• Oven/microwave proof dish.
• Have the cannelloni cooked and well drained, ready for the filling.
• *If you are substituting manicotti shells, you will need to double the filling as canelloni tubes are 1/2 the size.
• Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and allow it to simmer over a very low heat while preparing the filling.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese to a smooth consistency, then add the ricotta cheese and egg.
• Add the oregano, chopped onion and cooked ground turkey.
• ** Finely chopped spinach, partially cooked and very well drained, may be substituted for the turkey.
• With a spatula, fold in the motzarella and parmesean cheeses.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of your baking dish.
• To fill the canelloni, use a pastry tube or a plastic bag with one corner cut out. Hold one shell standing open inside the baking dish and pipe in the filling, being careful not to over stuff the shells.
• Lay the filled shells on the sauce, side by side. Bake at 350F for approximately 20 minutes or til heated through. Watch carefully as over heating may cause the cheese filling to spill out from the cannelloni, still tasting delicious but ruining the appearance.
• To serve, place 2 cannelloni on a heated plate, spooning a light amount of sauce over top. Be sure to have extra sauce and fresh grated parmesean cheese on your table for those that desire it.