Homemade Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni

You can impress your friends with this one (I know you can, because I have done it). Fairly straight forward to make, this recipe is great for a weeknight or for a casual dinner with friends. Make extra for leftovers!

I have been making cannelloni for about 8 years now. It's one of my go to recipes or my "bread & butter" as my husband says. This is the first time I made it with home made pasta so it is extra special.

Ingredients & Preparation: (made up in my brain some 8 years ago)

Serves 4

• 1 large tub of ricotta cheese
• 2 cups of fresh and/or frozen spinach
• 1 egg
• salt & pepper to taste
• homemade pasta sheets cut into 4-5" squares (or rectangles - whatever works!)
• 1/2 cup of mozzarella, shredded
• homemade bechamel and/or tomato sauce (see previous posts for instructions)

Whiz up your ricotta in a food processor with the egg and salt & pepper. Warm your spinach on the stove until wilty and soft. Set aside half of the spinach. Add the remainder to the ricotta and whiz until it is smooth.

Preheat oven to 350F. Get out a large oven-safe dish and add some sauce to the bottom (tomato would be best). Cut your pasta into 4-5" squares. If you don't have any homemade pasta buy the fresh lasagna sheets from the deli and cut each piece in half.

Place about 2 tbsp of the ricotta onto each piece of pasta and smooth it out so it is even. Leave some space at the edges. Add some of the reserved spinach. Now roll it up from one end to the other. Place seam side down in the dish. Continue until they are all rolled up. Now cover the pasta in your sauce of choice (I used both bechamel and tomato sauce in this recipe since I had just made them). Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella and place in the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until warm, gooey and golden brown.

Delicious with a side salad and big glass of vino!