Imagine coming home to this Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni…… a juicy spinach and ricotta filling inside cannelloni pasta tubes, topped with a homemade tomato basil sauce and melted cheese. After you’ve made this, try Beef and Spinach Cannelloni. It’s so good!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
This is one of my go-to freezer meals I make to give to friends, and a great one to make for dinners to cater for both carnivores and vegetarians.
I make it often throughout most of the year, except perhaps at the very height of summer. Yes, I love cannelloni that much!
What is cannelloni??
Cannelloni is a tube shaped dry pasta about 7 cm / 3″ long and 2cm / 2/3″ wide. It is stuffed with filling, covered in a sauce and cheese then baked. It does not need to be cooked before filling, it softens when baked in the oven.
The most common variety is a spinach and ricotta filling topped with a tomato sauce which is the version I am sharing today.
What’s the difference between cannelloni and manicotti?
Manicotti is also a dry paste tube. It’s the Italian-American version of cannelloni. The difference is that manicotti is larger with ridges, whereas cannelloni is smooth.
The spinach and ricotta filling in this recipe fills 18 – 22 cannelloni tubes, or 10 – 12 manicotti tubes.
There are two ways to make cannelloni:
stuffing dry pasta tubes
rolling the filling up in fresh lasagna sheets
I like using the tubes – partly because they are more cost effective. And also because I like the size – a better filling to pasta/sauce/cheese ratio. Lasagna sheets are thicker and you need a double layer where the sheets overlap to seal in the filling and inevitably, the cannellonis end up bigger.
Easiest way to fill cannelloni tubes
And I know what many of you are thinking – stuffing the tubes is a pain.
After many years of using knives / thin spoons / combination of those + the end of wooden spoons and I finally accepted the inevitable fact:
The fastest way to fill the tubes is with a piping bag.
7 seconds per tube x 20 tubes = 2.3 minutes. (Watch the video!)
The Spinach and Ricotta Filling
The Spinach and Ricotta Filling is creamy, has the perfect spinach to ricotta ratio, and made extra tasty with the addition of parmesan and cheese. It’s so good, I can eat spoonfuls of it straight out of the bowl!
Here’s what’s in it:
Spinach – use frozen for convenience (thaw, remove excess water before using), or fresh if you’ve got an abundance of it;
Ricotta – be sure to use a food quality full fat, creamy one. (Tip: avoid Perfect Italiano tub, it’s quite powdery and unpleasant)
Shredded cheese – a flavoured one is best, like cheddar, tasty. Save the mozzarella for the topping.
Parmesan – don’t skip this! It adds extra savouriness and seasoning to the filling. Just store bought finely shredded or grated is fine, or grate your own.
Garlic – because it makes everything better
Egg – for binding (can be skipped)
Nutmeg – optional, but it’s a lovely touch. I use it in almost all my spinach ricotta fillings.
Salt and pepper
This is my standard recipe that is virtually identical (if not identical) to what I use for all things spinach and ricotta, from this Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake, to Puff Pasty Puffs, Rotolo (it’s like upright cannelloni – and it’s amazing!), to Spinach Ricotta Rolls.
Can you freeze spinach and ricotta filling?
YES, it’s perfectly fine to freeze. If using to stuff something, then thaw, give it a good mix then use per recipe. If it’s already prepared, like Cannelloni, it can even be cooked from frozen.
I freeze cannelloni more often than cooking it fresh!
Sauce for Cannelloni
Cannelloni has to be smothered generously with sauce to ensure there’s enough liquid for the dry pasta tubes to absorb and cook in the oven, and there is still sauce when serving it up. The most common sauce is a tomato pasta sauce which is what I use.
There are recipes “out there” that say to just use plain canned tomatoes or tomato passata for the topping (or bottled pasta sauce).
I really, REALLY think that if you’re making the effort to making cannelloni, it is a no brainer to make a tiny extra effort to make a simple pasta sauce. It is honestly so much better than using plain canned tomato or a store bought pasta sauce!
Option: Load up on extra spinach
You can double the spinach in this, if you want. It can take it, plus you will use up an entire box of cannelloni tubes. They come in boxes of 30 here in Australia, and it is kind of annoying to end up with 10 or so floating around in the pantry, which then motivates me to make another batch just to use them up, then I end up with more tubes leftover so I have to make another batch.
Serve Cannelloni with a simple garden salad tossed with Italian Dressing. For a blow-out Italian feast, add a side of Garlic Bread, or a quick Cheesy Garlic Bread! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni
Ingredients
Sauce (you need LOTS!):
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 4 garlic clove , minced
- 1 bay leaf , fresh (sub dried)
- 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and oregano
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 800 g / 28 oz canned crushed tomato
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 1/3 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine (sub more stock)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/3 tsp black pepper
- 2/3 cup basil leaves , roughly torn (recommended but not critical)
Filling:
- 250 g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed (Note 1)
- 500 g / 1 lb ricotta , full fat please (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup parmesan , finely shredded
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Tasty, Gruyere, Swiss)
- 1 egg
- 1 large garlic clove , minced
- Grated fresh nutmeg (just a sprinkling) or 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
- 3/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Cannelloni
- 18 – 22 dried cannelloni tubes (250g pack) or 14 manicotti tubes (8.8 oz) (Note 3)
- 1/3 cup parmesan , finely shredded
- 1 1/4 cups shredded Mozzarella
- More basil and parmesan , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Sauce:
- Sauté – Heat oil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Reduce wine – Add wine, increase heat to high and let it simmer rapidly until mostly evaporated (about 2 minutes).
- Simmer – Add tomatoes, stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir then simmer on medium low for 20 minutes.
- Blitz – Remove bay leaf then blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Simmer for 1 more minute then remove from the stove
- Basil – Stir in basil then cover to keep warm until required.
Filling:
- Squeeze spinach – Place spinach in a colander and press out most of the liquid (don't need to thoroughly squeeze dry).
- Mix filling – Place Spinach in bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix, taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste (different cheeses have different saltiness).
Assemble & Bake:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
- Pan – Choose a baking pan which will comfortably fit about 20 cannelloni – mine is 21 x 26 cm / 8.5 x 10.5".
- Smear – Spread 1 cup of Sauce on the base (stops cannelloni from sliding around).
- Fill tubes – 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.
- Assemble – Place cannelloni in baking dish. Pour over remaining Sauce, covering all the tubes.
- Bake covered (but naked) – Cover with foil, then bake for 30 minutes.
- Cheese it! Remove foil, scatter over parmesan then mozzarella. Return to oven for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve, garnished with extra parmesan and basil if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Remember how I shared his current favourite toy – this squeaking emoji? Did I mention his favourite place to gnaw away at it? Smack bang in the middle of the new day bed. He literally plonks himself in the middle.
And please… someone remind me why I got a DARK GREY one??? 🙄
We made this for dinner tonight and all I can say is… YUM! I cannot fault.
Nagi, I stumbled across your page a little while ago and we have made a number of your wonderful recipes now… in fact, you’re quite the celebrity in our house! Whenever we attempt something new for dinner, my partner always asks “Is this one of Nagi’s recipes?”. Thank you for making me look like I can actually cook. Your recipes are always easy to follow… and so fun to read! Xx
Aww, you flatter me Chloe! But hey, I’m just the messenger, YOU’RE the one who made it!! N xx
Nagi,
Last night i tried your spinach &ricotta cannalonni. OMG!!! IT was dead set spot on. I added a few mushrooms in with it yummy, yummy, yummo! Looking forward to doing and looking at more of your recipes. ( you make it fun ) Thanks again.
Hi Nagi, I have been obsessing about this recipe because: no fresh lasagne, no pasta tubes that don’t require boiling before filling and cooking, aarrgghhh. How would egg roll wrappers work? They are sold fresh in almost all the grocery stores here in southwestern Missouri and the size seems to be pretty close to the cannelloni tubes you use. I did see cannelloni tubes, as well as manicotti tubes, but they both require pre-boiling, or so the packages say. Hellllppp, I want to make this recipe.
Thanks, Nagi, and as always, your recipes and beautiful pictures of the food bring much joy into my life. And Dozer, well, he lights up a page. Funny, from some angles he looks like a pup, but the picture you show of him standing next to you in a shop…that is a lot of dog.
My Mother is Coeliac and I’ve used gluten free crepes from the frozen section and they were awesome 😎
Hi, I’m cooking this for my partners mum who is also coeliac. So happy I came across your suggestion because I love this recipe but couldn’t find fresh gf lasagna sheets. Just wondering if you followed the recipe exactly and just substituted the cannelloni tubes for the gf frozen crepes?
Thank you
That is SUCH a good tip!
YES YES YES to egg roll wrappers! What a brilliant idea 🙂 I use small size egg wrappers that we get here in Australia for ravioli so it’s proof of concept! The cannelloni probably be a bit more bumpy than what you see in the photos because your casing starts off soft. Roll ’em up like enchiladas! I would love to know how it comes out! N x PS Dozer … YES he is ALOT OF DOG!!!
Hi Nagi,
Love your recipes and enjoy watching the videos before I start. It is a great help.
Could you please explain how to make ahead of time, the Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni.
Thank you
Hi Deb! I’m so pleased you find the videos useful! Please see Note 4 for make ahead directions! N x
Absolutely divine! I made a double recipe for the freezer. Froze it without cooking in foil trays, defrosted it and then popped it in the oven for an hour. Worked perfectly. As I said absolutely divine!
Perfect recipe. Easy and very tasty.
Thank you
I added harissa (tunisian hit sauce) to the tomate sauce. Sooo goood
My poor husband couldn’t find Cannelloni noodles at any of the stores we shop at. He got Manicotti noodles that look pretty similar; crinkly instead of smooth. I used a piping bag with no tip, and my 3 year old LOVED helping me squeeze it. It went fast even with her help! After 25 minutes, the Manicotti were still pretty firm. Uh oh! I put them back in for 15 more minutes, and they felt much better! Another win! I make one of your recipes about once a week!
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!! Thank you so much for sharing that story! N xx
Just wanted to say thank you. I made this for dinner tonight and my 2 year old daughter loved it. This is a real result for me because it’s very hard to get her to eat vegetables but she was wolfing down the spinach filling. Great recipe!
That’s so great to hear Samina! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
If I make this two days in advance do I just follow the instructions in note 4? I want to make it for boxing day this year. Looks yummy..
Hi Bee! Yep that’s exactly right, I would just keep it in the fridge for 2 days 🙂
I have successfully tried all many of your recipes, you’re now my go to recipe site! I wanted to tell you that I made the “moist Apple Cake” 3x now, and the last time I made it with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour and it was delicious!!!! it’s been a hit every time, as well as the salmon parmesean bake, the one pan fish in cream sauce, the salmon with peppers, the flourless chocolate cake, and so it goes! Thank you for great recipes that even a novice cook can make successfully!
Oh wow, what a lovely message to receive Anne! I’m so pleased you’re enjoying my recipes, thank you!
Another restaurant quality meal! Thank you x
Hi Nagi, tried the cannelloni last evening. It turned out to be super yummmm!!! My hubby loved it and all thanks to you for such delicious recipe.. I am vegetarian (no egg, no meat, no fish, no oyster sauce etc) so I didn’t add egg. And it tasted heavenly.. Thanks a ton.. looking forward to many more recipes. – Shraddha
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback Shraddha, I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
Well, I could not find the kind of pasta you don’t have to cook prior. I’m not sure if I should precook, then try to stuff, or can you stuff them first without cooking them? I guess I’ll do some research.
Hi Laura! Do you live in Australia?? If so, any of the dried cannelloni sold in the dried pasta aisle is all you need 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
I live in Canada. Is it just regular Cannelloni that you use in the recipe? Our boxes instruct preboiling. Perhaps they cook with the moisture of the other ingredients in your recipe? I’ m cooking them for my son’s 18th birthday so I don’t want to mess them up! But if I can get away with using dry pasta my life would be so much easier!
Hi Tracey! How odd that yours need pre boiling! Ours are hard and dried, like normal pasta, but do not require pre boiling as they cooking using the moisture of the sauce 🙂 To ensure it works out though I think it’s best to follow the box instructions, sorry to say! N x
I live in Canada and bought a brand called Italpasta. The box says oven ready cannelloni. This is my first time making this recipe. I’ll be making it for dinner tonight.
Amazing! Just another of your recipes which has turned out to be a success! Thankyou Nagi you are the source of all of my meal inspo xxx
Fantastic to hear Laura!! Thank you for letting me know! N x PS “Inspo!” Soooo Aussie 🇦🇺, I love it! 😂
Made this tonight. The filling was amazing. I too ate it out of the bowl! I doubled it and made one to eat and one to freeze. In my haste (we were hungry haha) I forgot one tin of tomatoes so it was a little drier than I would normally like, so next time I’ll have to be more careful! Will make again.
Ha! I love hearing that you ate the filling out of the bowl too!!! 😂
Made this as a ‘side dish’ to go with some arancini we were having for dinner. It was so delicious! Even better the next day as leftovers. Will definitely make again.
I read through all the comments. Can I use regular noodles or do they have to be no-boil? This sounds SO good. Thanks for the piping bag note. I was definitly going to use a plastic bag. 🙁
HI Sue! It needs to be no boil so they are hard so you can pipe the filling in 🙂 Otherwise you can use lasagne sheets and roll them up and cut them in half! N x
I finally received my cannelloni pasta. It is crazy, I ordered from Amazon and it shipped Royal Mail from London??? What a difference whole milk ricotta makes. The leftovers just got better and better. To Lisa, I bought a piping bag for icing. The big tip was 1/2 inch and worked perfectly. This recipe is definitely a go to for comfort.
YOU ORDERED CANNELLONI PASTA?????!!!! 😳 YOU ROCK Lori!
Yum, have never made cannelloni but will have to now. The filling sounds amazing! Btw, a cone made with parchment paper is great for piping, too, and biodegradable if you don’t have a reusable piping bag and don’t want to use a plastic bag!
I never thought of that Barb, you’re a legend! I will give it a go and update this post with photos! N x
Hi, Nagi. When I saw your spinach ricotta cannelloni recipe, it lured me right in. 🙂 And, you are a GENIUS filing the uncooked canelloni!! How easy using a pastry bag and less painful too (no hot pasta here!). I always learn something new from you, because you’re such a great cook!
Have a sweet day,
Heather