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Spinach and ricotta cannelloni, a classic, foolproof recipe and a family favourite. Cannelloni pasta tubes filled with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling, baked in a super simple and delicious tomato sauce and topped with melting mozzarella cheese.
Like other classic Italian recipes such as lasagne and beef ragu, spinach and ricotta cannelloni is one of those recipes I will always go back to. It’s classic, comforting and surprisingly simple to make!
Since living in Italy, I have seen so many cannelloni recipes. A more rustic and traditional way of making them is with fresh lasagna sheets (homemade). Dollop some of your filling, be it spinach and ricotta or ragu and roll it up to create the cannelloni.
The other option is to use pre-made cannelloni pasta tubes. I love using these because they are so easy to fill and ensure each tube is evenly filled, that way everyone gets an even portion. You should be able to buy cannelloni pasta tubes in most stores/supermarkets, they’re pretty common and they save so much time.
Table of Contents
Visual walk-through of the recipe
Finely chop a shallot and garlic and saute in a pan with a little olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato passata (pureed tomatoes) with some torn basil leaves, salt and pepper and simmer for around 5 minutes, set aside (photos 1 & 2).
Tip: Making a simple tomato sauce with shallot, garlic and basil will give this spinach and ricotta cannelloni an extra punch of flavour and it’s so worth the extra 5 minute effort.
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Pin ItAdd some washed raw, fresh spinach to a large pan and wilt on a medium heat. Tip: Add a splash of water (around 1 tbsp) to stop the spinach from burning and to help wilt it all. Leave to cool and then squeeze out as much water as possible (photos 3 and 4).
To make the spinach and ricotta filling: add the ricotta, parmesan, chopped spinach, egg, nutmeg and salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl and mix everything together until creamy and thoroughly combined (photos 5 and 6).
To assemble the spinach and ricotta cannelloni: add a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish. Transfer the spinach and ricotta filling to a piping bag or a disposable freezer bag with the corner cut off and pipe the filling into the cannelloni pasta tubes. Add each filled cannelloni tube in an even layer in the baking dish (photos 7-9).
Top the cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce then top with torn mozzarella and grated parmesan. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes then uncovered for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
Recipe Tips
- Use a piping bag – although it’s not necessary, using a piping bag to pipe the spinach and ricotta filling into the cannelloni tubes makes things so much easier.
- No cannelloni tubes? If you don’t have cannelloni tubes you can blanch store-bough or homemade fresh lasagna sheets. Make sure to blanch them in boiling salted water for about 30-40 seconds before filling and rolling.
Cannelloni fillings and variations
- Pesto provolone cannelloni (vegetarian)
- Italian beef ragu (replace the tomato sauce with bechamel sauce)
- Lentil ragu (vegetarian): replace the tomato sauce with bechamel as above.
- Tuscan sausage ragu
- Ricotta mixed with grated smoked scamorza cheese (this would also be good with spinach)
If you’ve tried this easy cannelloni recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 1/2 cups (700g) passata/pureed tomatoes
- 1 small bunch basil
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
For the filling
- 12.3 oz (350g) ricotta cheese
- 8.8 oz (250g) raw fresh spinach
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp parmesan, grated
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper
To assemble
- 12 cannelloni pasta tubes
- 4.4 oz (125g) ball of mozzarella
- Extra grating of parmesan
Instructions
To make the sauce
- Finely chop the shallot and garlic and saute in a pan with a little olive oil for around 1-2 minutes until soft and translucent but not browned. Add the tomato passata (pureed tomatoes) with some torn basil leaves, salt and pepper and simmer for around 5 minutes, set aside.
To make the filling
- Add the washed raw, fresh spianch to a large pan and wilt on a medium heat. Add a splash of water (around 1 tbsp) to stop the spinach from burning and to help wilt it all. Leave to cool or rinse under cold water then squeeze out as much water as possible and finely chop.
- To make the spinach and ricotta filling, add the ricotta, parmesan, chopped spinach, egg, nutmeg and salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl and mix everything together until creamy and thoroughly combined.
To assemble
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350F/gas mark 4.
- To assemble the spinach and ricotta cannelloni, add a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish. Transfer the spinach and ricotta filling to a piping bag or a disposable freezer bag with the corner cut off and pipe the filling into the cannelloni pasta tubes. Add each filled cannelloni tube in an even layer in the baking dish.
- Top the cannelloni with the remaining tomato sauce then top with torn mozzarella and grated parmesan. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes then uncovered for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
Notes
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ok so I’m devising a plan involving me moving to Italy so you can make me food ;P seriously though! I love how simple and delicious this meal is!
Hahaaa that would be fun! Thanks so much Marlee!
This looks AMAZING Emily! Stunning photography (per usual). This recipe is a must try for me 🙂
Aw thank you so much Amanda!
Mmmm. I love that you put spinach in the filling! I love cannelloni and love how easy it is to make. Can you believe that I never thought of using a pastry bag to pipe the filling in the pasta tubes? DOH! Great tip! I can’t wait to try your recipe! It looks both delicious and pretty!
Thanks so much Elaine, hope you enjoy!
I love cannelloni and now that I know how that ricotta is lower fat, it’s my favourite with pasta. Can’t wait to try your version!
Hope you enjoy it 🙂
I love cannelloni and even if I make my own pasta I like to use the cannelloni already made. It is so much easier. This is a nice recipe, I never tried with tomato sauce, I usually make them white. I should try next time which might be tomorrow.
They are so much easier, aren’t they? Thanks Laura!
That golden melty cheese is everything. I want to dive in!
It’s all about the cheese lol
this is making me drool so much! Perfect classic, ideal cosy meal for any day of the week!
Definitely, thanks Anna!
The step by step instructions are perfect!! This is one of my favorite Italian dishes.!
Thanks so much Pam, it’s sooo good!
I love how bubbly the cheese is in your pics and I love the other stuffing options you give — looking forward to the Tuscan sausage ragu!
Thanks Alysas, that’s such a great filling with bechamel sauce on top, yum!
Tried this one tonight, it was a hit with the whole family! I did 3 things differently but it made no difference; Firstly, I’ve never used a piping bag of any kind so I went with large shells. I boiled them Al dente to soften them for filling. Secondly, it was going to cost $9 for the fresh spinach so I got 2 boxes of frozen for about 90cents each instead (frozen silverbeet) It worked perfectly anyway! Thirdly, I didn’t use passata because I had 2 cans of lovely San Marzano tomatoes in the cupboard so I mashed them up in a bowl by hand. It was a more rustic texture which worked well too. This recipe is both flavoursome and delicate, a beautiful example of Italian home cooking! Thank you for the recipe!
Canneloni is an amazing classic comfort food. Thanks for the step by step pix, you’ve made it look easy!
Thanks Kate, it really is so simple to put together!