Utterly satisfying, like any well-made Italian dish, these cannelloni are stuffed with an aromatic spinach and vegan ricotta mixture, smothered in a rich tomato sauce and layered generously with bubbly, melty, plant-based cheese.
You will need
Serves 6
For the tomato sauce:
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 100ml white wine
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 150ml vegetable stock
- Small handful basil, reserve some for garnish
For the cannelloni filling:
- 250g cannelloni pasta shells
- 30ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 280g bag of spinach (approx)
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- Salt and pepper, generous pinch each
- 300g vegan ricotta
For the cheesy top:
- 100g plant-based cheddar cheese, grated
- 150g plant-based herb chevre cheese, for garnish
To serve:
- Side salad of your choosing
Recipe: Simon Toohey
Directions
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Step 1
For the tomato sauce: Add the onion and garlic to a medium saucepan and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
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Step 2
Then stir in the paprika, cracked pepper, thyme, and bay leaves; then pour in the white wine. Reduce the wine so there is nearly nothing left.
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Step 3
Add the tomatoes and stock. And all but a few of the basil leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and cook for a further 20 minutes until the sauce is rich and flavourful. You’ll cook it down by about half. You might like to add a little sugar and additional seasoning to your liking.
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Step 4
For the cannelloni filling: In a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, onion, and garlic, and sauté for about 3 minutes until translucent. Then add the nutmeg.
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Step 5
Add the spinach to the onion mixture, along with a dash of water and a pinch of salt to help steam and wilt it. (You can pop on a lid on it to help steam it too.) Cook for approx. 3 minutes until it’s all wilted. If there’s any liquid left in the pan, pour it into a strainer and strain as much of the liquid out as possible. Then dump mixture out onto a chopping board and chop roughly.
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Step 6
Place mixture into a bowl, and mix in the yeast, salt, pepper, and vegan ricotta. Using a masher, mash the mixture until it’s a nice smushy texture. Let it cool for a bit (in the fridge if you like), then transfer the mixture into a piping bag or a sandwich bag and cut off the lower corner.
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Step 7
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
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Step 8
Pipe the the spinach-ricotta mixture into all of your cannelloni shells.
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Step 9
If your sauce is finished cooking, spoon a little across the bottom of a baking tray to prevent the pasta from sticking. Then, place the stuffed cannelloni as neatly as possible, in two rows along your baking tray. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle over the plant-based shredded cheese, cover with baking paper and tin foil, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the baking paper and foil and bake for a further 10 minutes.
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Step 10
Take out of the oven and let sit to settle for a minimum of 10 minutes. Sprinkle over the last of the basil and dollops of chevre before serving.
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Recipe: Simon Toohey
