Recipe Baked Onion Cannelloni in Rich Tomato Sauce
Healthy choice
Mostly whole foods
Gluten-free option
Nut-free option
Budget friendly
Freshly Picked
Kid-friendly
Comfort food
Entertaining
Lazy dinners
Main meals
Gluten-free folks, you are welcome here: In Simon’s re-imagined cannelloni, layers of softly baked brown onions replace the traditional pasta sheets or shells — bringing with them more flavour and bite!
You will need
Serves 4
- 2 brown onions
- 300g firm tofu
- 100g vegan feta*
- 200g baby spinach
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk rosemary
- 2 tins cherry tomatoes
- 200ml vegetable stock
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
To serve
- 1 bunch basil, leaves picked
- Olive oil
- Couscous (or quinoa or millet if gluten-free)
Recipe: Simon Toohey
Directions
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Step 1
Preheat oven 200°C. Cut the onions in half, leaving the skin on. Rub the cut side with oil and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Take out and let cool.
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Step 2
Add 3 tablespoons of oil to a large oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add spinach, a pinch of salt and a splash of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the spinach has wilted.
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Step 3
Remove the wilted spinach from the pan and roughly chop.
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Step 4
In a bowl, mix together the tofu, feta, and wilted spinach, set aside.
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Step 5
In the pot you reduced the spinach in, place the other 3 tablespoons of olive oil along with the garlic and rosemary. Cook for 5 minutes until aromatic and soft. Pour in the tomatoes, stock, nutmeg and caster sugar and cook for another 10 minutes. Pour into a 12 x 6 inch baking tray.
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Step 6
Remove the ends of the onions. Peel the petals out of the onion skin and place on cutting board. Add any onions that are too small to fill with the tofu to the tomato sauce.
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Step 7
Place a teaspoon of the spinach mixture inside an onion petal then roll it up so it holds a pointy cannelloni shape. Repeat until all onion petals are filled.
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Step 8
Take the sauce off the heat. Place the onion cannellonis on the top of the sauce, one next to the other until the baking tray is filled. Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
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Step 9
Take out and rest for 10 minutes for everything to set and cool.
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Step 10
Drizzle with olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and top with basil leaves to serve.
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Step 11
Serve with a side of couscous.
Hot tip!
*There are lots of dairy-free feta cheeses available nowadays. YAY Foods and Bio Cheese are two delicious options. Otherwise, and perhaps the most rewarding option, you can make your own almond feta!
Recipe: Simon Toohey
