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??? 🙄
So so so good!!! Not much of a chef by any stretch but followed this step by step and absolutely nailed it! Thank you for sharing!
That’s awesome Jay! N x
Nagi, Tried a lot of your recipes. I just want to say Thank you, you make my life a lot of more easier. Marinate the meat or cook and freeze them for weekdays dinner. Great flavour, match my pallet, easy to please the crowd, Fresh ingredients. Very recommended. I can do a lot of experience from different country dishes and I know for sure the taste of food always fantastic. Thanks !!
This is a fantastic recipe which I have made many times.
But here in Kefalonia, Ricotta is not available in the winter!……. so I made it last night with Original PHILADELPHIA & my husband & I thought it was even better made this way!
Love all your recipes by the way!!!!
Outstanding!
Thanks so much CarCar!
An absolute winner!
I made this for my vegetarian daughter and ended up having a serve for myself.
Delicious and so easy.
I’m so glad you loved it too Claire!
Next is your spinach and beef canelloni!
Thank-you for your amazing recipes.
Hi. When freezing the recipe you noted to add 3/4 of a cup of water to the sauce and to blend it, would this be on top of the optional 1/2 cup of water you mention you tend to add for guests?
Made this on Friday night, thought it would be a simple assembly, lol, used ziplock as I didn’t have a piping bag, but needed hubby’s help, as it kept falling out the bottom of the tubes! I doubled the spinach, so it was a tad wetter. All good, I blocked bottom of tube while he squeezed. Haha. End result spectacular! And leftovers tonight, probably with plenty to freeze for another meal. 5 stars as usual. Thanks Nagi.
Hi Kate – I tend to stand mine up in the dish so the bottom is blocked 🙂
To get more water out of the spinach, press it in a potato ricer. Makes quick work of the task.
Soooo delicious. Had five and could not stop eating. Next time will double the spinach as you suggest. One question, one serving is how many cannelloni?
Hi Patricia, I’m so glad you loved it! I base a serving on 4 tubes – N x
Hi, I’m making this tonight and am wondering if I could use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Hi Michelle, I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x
Made this today! It was Ddddelicious! Although I left mine in the oven all up 35 minutes, I might add an extra 5 minutes next time. But soo tasty! Yum
Thankyou Nagi x
I’m So glad you loved it Cathy!!!
Hi I made this using the Perfect Italian ricotta because it’s what I had on hand. I also added a 500g tetra pack of passata to the sauce and 1tsp sugar.
I used Italian mix herbs and oregano because my fresh basil died.
I used pizza mix cheese for topping.
what a smashing dish!
Can I double layer the tubes or should it be baked in the one layer only?
I bake mine in a single layer as the sauce needs to cover the tubes to allow them to cook evenly – N x
Although I haven’t made this yet, I want to thank you for all the recipes. I look for recipes that I can freeze and deliver to my mom who’s on another island. This way I know she’s eating healthier! She loves Italian & I know this will be a hit!
Aww that’s awesome Lou!!
Could you please post a Meat & Spinach Cannelloni Recipe
Hi Linda, feel free to pop any requests on my recipe request page 🙂
this was pretty easy to make (great tip with the piping bag!). Great recipe for meat-free Mondays!
Perfect!! Absolutely delicious and recipe is flawless!!
Yes perfect for Meat free Monday!!
i really enjoy your marinated salmon keep it on.etc..
Loved this, but my husband isn’t a fan of Pasta. So do you think the filling would work if I used it to stuff Portobello Mushrooms instead
Thanks Nagi – you are my one stop shop for recipes these days! I made this with a few tweaks – I added balsamic vinegar and tomato paste to my sauteed garlic and onion. I used a good squeeze of basil in a tube instead of fresh. Delish!
Can you please advise if the crushed tomato in the sauce is fresh or tin tomato? Thank you!
Best cannelloni recipe ever. The whole family loves it, including the two year old. I add another tin of tomatoes to make it extra saucy but otherwise follow this to a tee and it always makes 21 perfect cannellonis. Thank you
Love this Ali!
Hey Nagi, just a quick one. I’m making this tomorrow and in the UK we tend to have Passatta, chopped tomatoes, Polpa(finely chopped tomatoes) and whole tomatoes.
Which would you use in the absence of crushed tomatoes? Should I blend my whole tomatoes or use Passatta do you think? Thanks, Jason x
Hi Jason, use chopped or the finely chopped tomatoes (we have Polpa here and they are great to use) I usually blend my sauce after cooking it anyway so it doesn’t really matter which you use! – N x
Hey Nagi, this was great. The sauce tasted so fresh with the torn basil and the spinach mix was excellent!
Going to have to get a piping bag though cos I made a right old pigs ear of using a ziploc to pipe into my canellonni tubes. The potato ricer trick from Maragret T worked fantasticly!
Another regular meal for my rotataion! Thanks!!