Herbed Cannelloni Recipe

Oregano - Photo Credit: Amy Urquhart, Bowmanville, Ontario

There is nothing quite like a hearty, Italian meal on a snowy, winter day. This recipe is easy and delicious to make. It's sure to please a family any night of the week, but would also make a delicious, romantic meal for two when paired with a glass of red wine and a salad. Use fresh herbs if they are available. If not, consider picking them up at a local market.

List of Ingredients

Pasta Filling

• 1 box of oven-ready cannelloni noodles
• 1 carton (500 mL) of ricotta cheese. Substitute light ricotta if counting calories.
• 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• A fistful of favourite coarsely-chopped fresh herbs from the garden or local farmer’s market, such as oregano, thyme, lots of basil, parsley and chives.

Sauce

• 1 batch Roasted Tomato Sauce.
• 2 ½ oz. tomato paste.
• 1 tbsp. dried basil.
• 1 tsp. ground thyme.
• splash red wine
• 1 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Topping

• Freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. If a batch of Roasted Tomato Sauce is frozen, remove sauce from container and thaw it in a shallow saucepan. When the sauce is thawed, stir in tomato paste, herbs and wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until ready to build the cannelloni. A prepared sauce can also be used as a substitute if no fresh sauce is on hand.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine ricotta, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs. Place mixture into a pastry bag. If no pastry bag is available, create one by cutting the corner out of a Ziploc bag. Fill each cannelloni with the ricotta mixture by squeezing it slowly out of the pastry bag. Twist the end of the empty bag in order to avoid wasting the ricotta mixture.
3. Place about half of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Nestle the filled cannelloni into the sauce. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle the top with grated mozzarella cheese. Cheese lovers can add a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
4. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 375°F oven on the middle rack for 50 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crisping at the edges.

Allow dish to sit for five minutes before serving.

This dish goes wonderfully with garlic bread and a Caesar salad.

Amy Urquhart - Amy Urquhart is an editor, freelance writer, wife, mother and gardener living in Bowmanville, Ontario. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts ...

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