Elevate your weeknight meals with classic Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni! Tender pasta tubes are filled with a creamy blend of ricotta cheese and spinach, offering a burst of flavour in every bite. Pasta tubes Baked in a rich tomato and basil sauce, they are topped with melted mozzarella for a delightful textural contrast. Perfect for a satisfying family dinner or even a single serve meal prep recipe.
This spinach and ricotta filled cannelloni was a fan favourite as I was growing up, but it can be a bit of a mess.
I am all about decreasing the amount of effort in the kitchen - and that includes cleaning up! The pasta tubes are the perfect size to fit into a meal prep container to make a single serve meal prep that can be prepped, cooked and eaten in the same container (saving so much clean up).
Of course, you can always cook this in a large casserole dish for a family-friendly meal. I've given you both options, plus a delicious tomato and basil sauce that will knock your socks off!
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Ingredients
Filling
Ricotta. The creamy filling on the inside the cannelloni tube. You could substitute with silken tofu for a plant-based option or if you're dairy free. I've done it a couple of times for my dairy-free partner and it works really well!
Spinach. I use the packets of frozen spinach because it's already wilted and they pack in a lot of spinach. Defrost slightly so you can stir it in with the ricotta.
Cheese. Just to add to the cheesy goodness. You can omit or substitute for plant-based or dairy-free.
Spring Vegetable soup. This is my secret ingredient! Those dried soup packets you get from the soup section at the supermarket are fantastic for quick packs of flavour and it is particularly great in this recipe.
Eggs. This helps bind the mixture together when cooked.
Pasta ingredients
Cannelloni tubes. These pasta tubes come as hard pasta that is ready to be filled. You can typically find them in the dried pasta section of the supermarket in a long cardboard box in 250g amounts.
Passata. This is the base for the sauce that will cover the filled tube pasta. You can use any sort of tomato based sauce that you like, but I have including my recipe for a basic tomato pasta sauce.
Flavour. Passata that comes in a jar doesn't normally have any flavour to it. I like to add some dried herbs onions and garlic to enhance the flavour.
Cheese. This melts on top giving that delicious golden crust.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
How to make cannelloni
In a large bowl, mix together ingredients to fill the cannelloni tubes.
Add the filling ingredients to a large ziplock bag. I like to add the bag to a large glass (or a smoothie cup) and sit the ends of the bag over the edges of the glass to ensure I don't get my fingers messy when I zip it up. Fasten the ziplock bag.
You could also use a piping bag for this, but I'm very clumsy so needed a ziplock to be able to fasten the bag so I didn't make a mess.
Add cannelloni tubes to a glass or ceramic, oven-safe container (you can do individual serves or all together).
If using a ziplock, cut a small hole in the corner which will be used to fill each of the cannelloni tubes. Then, gently squeeze.
If using a piping bag, gently squeeze.
Top cannelloni with passata (make sure to completely cover pasta, including allowing it to seep underneath). Top with cheese and cover with aluminium foil. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven @180C then remove aluminium foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or until you can pierce through the pasta with a skewer with ease.
You can serve your cannelloni as is, or with a side of vegetables or a fresh salad like my Vegan Couscous Salad or Prawn, Mango and Avocado Salad.
Substitutions and variations
Cannelloni sauce. If you have a favourite tomato-based sauce that you know and love, you can definitely add this to the cannelloni instead of my simple sauce. You could also substitute passata for any other tomato-based, such as canned or tinned tomatoes, or even fresh tomatoes that you break down into a cannelloni sauce.
Spinach. You can definitely use fresh spinach for cannelloni, but you will want to wilt it slightly first (either on a pan or by pouring hot water over it). Remember, fresh spinach dramatically decreases in size once wilted.
Fresh pasta. You could make your own cannelloni by rolling up fresh lasagna sheets instead of using the ready-made dried tubes. I find the tubes cost effective and a little less messy to fill. The lasagne sheets are thicker and you have to guesstimate how much filling to add (and if you add too much, you'll have an off-ratio amount of filling to pasta).
If you do choose to use fresh pasta, it will take less time to cook in the oven.
Vegan spinach and ricotta
If you're after a vegan alternative, substitute the ricotta for silken tofu, the dairy cheese with plant-based and omit the egg.
Because the egg acts as a binder in the non-vegan version, you'll be left with a mixture that is slightly runnier once cooked. It's important to make sure that the open sides of the cannelloni are blocked (either by other tubes or the corners of the dish it's being baked in) as this will help keep it all together.
Meal prep and leftovers
Storing
Make ahead. You could make the entire dish and fill the pasta tubes ahead of time (probably no more than a day or two) and cover it before placing it in the fridge. You then have a full casserole to pop in the oven when you want to have it.
Store in casserole. After cooking the cannelloni, you can store the spinach and ricotta cannelloni tubes in the casserole by allowing it to cool completely at room temperature then covering it with cling wrap. Allowing it to cool will prevent steam being trapped and making the dish soggy. You can store in the fridge this way for about 3 days.
Transfer to container. If you've cooked the cannelloni in a casserole dish, you can transfer to a container and place the lid on (after allowing it to cool) and storing in the fridge. It should keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. If you've cooked the cannelloni in the separate containers, just allow them to cool before placing the lid on and refrigerating.
Reheating
There are a couple of ways to reheat your leftover spinach and ricotta cannelloni.
Oven. Preheat the oven to 190C and transfer the cannelloni you wish to eat to an oven-safe baking dish, spreading a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pasta to prevent it from sticking. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes before removing foil for a further 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese and continue heating through.
Microwave. Reheating in the microwave is not ideal due to the thickness of the cannelloni, but it definitely can be done. Reheat in individual portions with a sprinkle of water or extra tomato sauce over the dish. Reheat on 1 minute intervals (it'll take about 4-5 minutes to heat through, but there could be uneven heating and potential dryness of the pasta).
Freezing
Cooling. Let the baked pasta tubes cool completely at room temperature.
Portioning. For easier reheating and defrosting, consider portioning the cannelloni into individual containers (wrapped tightly first in aluminium foil or plastic wraps), ziplock bags or vacuum sealer bags. This will make it easier to defrost and reheat.
Freezing. You can freeze cannelloni for up to 3 months.
Reheating. Before reheating, allow frozen cannelloni to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then follow the steps above.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Absolutely! Freezing cannelloni is a great way to prepare meals in advance or enjoy leftovers. Here's a breakdown:
Baked Cannelloni: You can freeze leftover baked cannelloni for up to 3 months. Follow proper storage methods (cooling completely, portioning, wrapping tightly) to ensure they retain their texture and flavor upon reheating.
Uncooked Cannelloni: If you haven't baked your cannelloni yet, you can freeze them after filling. Just make sure they are completely assembled and tightly wrapped to prevent freezer burn.
There are a couple of ways to stuff cannelloni tubes:
Spoon Method: This is the simplest method. Fill a spoon with your desired filling and carefully push it into the cannelloni tube. Repeat until the tube is filled, but don't overstuff as it can burst during baking.
Piping Bag Method: Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip (or even a zip-lock bag with a corner snipped off) with your filling. Pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes, controlling the amount and ensuring even distribution.
Manicotti and cannelloni are both large pasta tubes typically used for baked dishes filled with savory ingredients. Here's a quick breakdown of the key differences:
Origin: Cannelloni is the original Italian version, typically made with fresh pasta sheets that are rolled and filled.
Shape and Size: Manicotti is the Americanised version, often made with dried pasta tubes that are larger and have ridges on the outside. Cannelloni tubes tend to be smoother and slightly smaller.
Preparation: Cannelloni can be made with fresh or dried pasta, while manicotti is usually made with dried pasta tubes that need to be pre-cooked before filling and baking.
More vegetarian pasta recipes
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Recipe
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni Pasta Tubes Bake
Ingredients
Filling
- 375 g smooth ricotta
- 250 g frozen spinach defrosted
- 2 eggs
- 1 pkt spring vegetable soup
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ lemon juice
- S&P to taste
Pasta
- 250 g Cannelloni tubes
- 600 g Passata
- 1 tablespoon Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon basil dried
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
Instructions
- Mix filling ingredients together.
- Add filling ingredients to a large ziplock bag, fasten.
- Add cannelloni tubes to a glass or ceramic, oven-safe container (you can do individual serves or all together).
- Snip the corner of the ziplock bag and fill each of the cannelloni tubes with the filling.
- Top cannelloni with passata and herbs (make sure to completely cover pasta, including allowing it to seep underneath).
- Top with cheese and cover with aluminium foil. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven @180C then remove aluminium foil and bake for a further 10 minutes or until you can pierce through the pasta with a skewer with ease.
- See post for information on meal prep and leftovers.
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