Spinach cannelloni with ricotta and ham

INDEX:
Spinach cannelloni with ricotta and ham

Ingredients

Preparation of the dough

Preparation of the filling

Assembling the cannelloni

Preparation of the sauce

Baking

Result

Cannelloni is a dish that comes from Italia. It consists of thin and square-shaped dough that, once it’s boiled, you have to fill it and wrap it. It offers a lot of possibilities, not only in its making and its filling but also in the kind of dough that you can use. In Argentina, for example, people often prepare cannelloni with crepes. It’s not surprising since the modern recipe is not the same as the traditional one. As a curiosity, bechamel was not included in the recipe until the 18ths century. Even though it’s a delicious dish and, although the preparation of the spinach cannelloni is quite laborious, it really worths it!

Ingredients for the spinach cannelloni with ricotta and ham

Dough

• 2 eggs
• 300ml milk
• 8 tablespoon flour

Filling

• 300gr spinach
• 500gr ricotta
• 200gr Parmesan cheese
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• Ham slices
• Salt
• Black pepper

Sauce

• 30gr butter
• 500ml milk
• 2 tablespoon flour
• Nutmeg
• Salt

Extras

• Grated cheese

Preparation of the dough

1. • Mix in a bowl all the ingredients until you get a uniform mix. Start stirring the eggs. Then pour the milk and, to end up, add the sieving flour to avoid forming lumps.

2. • Pour the mix in small amounts over a hot frying pan, so it covers all its base with a thin layer.

3. • When it starts to bubble, it’s going to be the moment to spin it around. Continue cooking it for some minutes until it starts browning.

4. • Prepare all the crepes you can need and keep them for later.

Preparation of the filling of the spinach cannelloni with ricotta and ham

5. • Chop the onion and the garlic cloves as thin as you can.

6. • Sauté them in a frying pan until they start to brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. • Join the spinach with the onion and the garlic. Stir it slowly to cook the vegetable uniformly.

8. • Cook the spinach for some minutes until it gets tender.

9. • Move all the ingredients away from the frying pan and pour them into a bowl. Then, add the ricotta, the parmesan cheese, and mix them well. Season it to taste.

Assembling the spinach cannelloni with ricotta and ham

10. • Spread out one crepe and put over it a ham slice.

11. • Now, spread out the stuffing of the cannelloni over the ham slice. Wrap it gently without applying too much pressure to be sure that the filling remains inside the dough. Repeat this step the times you need until you make all the cannelloni you need.

Preparation of the sauce

12. • Melt the butter in a frying pan.

13. • Sprinkle the sieving flour slowly over the melted butter and mix it enérgicamente. Cook it for some minutes.

14. • Pour some milk to dissolve the mix and make it homogeneous. In the case that appears some lumps and you can’t dissolve them, use a hand blender to achieve it. Add nutmeg and salt to taste. Cook the sauce for a few moments, and don’t stop stirring it until you get a liquid but thick texture.

Baking

15. • Spread a thin layer of the sauce over an oven dish to avoid the spinach cannelloni getting stick.

16. • Put the cannelloni in the oven dish side by side and then pour the sauce over them.

17. • Cover up the cannelloni with grated cheese. Place it in the oven at the maximum until the cheese is melted.

Result

Although the preparation of the spinach cannelloni with ricotta and ham is quite laborious, the result is a delicious dish that really worths trying. As you can imagine, it’s a different and pleasant way to eat vegetables. Even the people who don’t like vegetables will love it!

Even though the dough, the sauce, and the cheese are caloric ingredients, the spinach will provide vitamins, fiber, and minerals. And although this vegetable is a superfood, it’s not convenient to overeat this mixture. Even so, it’s not a heavy meal. You’ll be able to eat more than two cannelloni, and you won’t even notice!

Just like spaghetti bolognese, this is one of those recipes that everyone loves. So if you dare to try it… I hope you enjoy it as I did!

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