Spinach & Mushroom Cannelloni

I have never made a cannelloni. Its been on my to-do list for a while now.

So I made it this week and it was really delicious! I never knew it would turn out so good!!

The best part is it is healthy and colourful! A meal in itself.. If you like lasagne you will undoubtedly like this.

Cannelloni is simply a thick tubular pasta with a filling inside and sauces outside. Alternatively, lasagne rolled like thick cigars/rolls with filling inside is the same as the ready made tubular ones! This is baked just like lasagne! Lasagne follows layering, these are rolls, rest remains the same!

So lets start with it!

Serves: 2 Preparation Time: 20 mins Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

For the Creamy Cheese Sauce (1 cup):

1 heaped tbsp of butter

1 tbsp of maida/all purpose flour or sifted wheat flour

¾ cup milk

2-3 tbsp of fresh cream (store bought), I used Amul's

3 tbsp grated cheese, cheddar (preferably parmesan)

½ tsp ground nutmeg/jaiphal

salt & pepper as per taste

For the Rustic Tomato Sauce (1 cup):

2 tomatoes, blanched and puréed 

2 tbsp celery, finely chopped

3 tbsp carrots, finely chopped

2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

3 tbsp onion, finely chopped

4-5 basil leaves, finely chopped

1 tbsp oregano

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper as per taste

For the Spinach & Mushroom Filling:

1 cup spinach leaves (¾ bunch or 150 gms), washed, blanched & shredded

1 cup button mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper as per taste  

For the Cannelloni:

4 Lasagne sheets, home-made or store bought
4 cups water

2 tbsp oil

salt as per taste

For Garnish:

2 tbsp Mozzarella cheese, grated

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Method:

For the Cannelloni:

1. Take the water in a sufficiently deep and wide vessel and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 tbsp oil and enough salt. Then add in 4 lasagne sheets.

2. Follow the cooking instructions on the packet, usually 8-10 mins. Once cooked, immediately drain it and apply the balance 1 tbsp oil and leave aside.

For the Creamy Cheese Sauce:

1. Heat the butter in a pan. Once melted, add the sifted flour and cook for 30 -45 secs.

2. Now add the milk to this mixture IN 3 PARTS to avoid lumps while stirring continuously.

3. Once the milk has uniformly integrated with the flour and butter and thick, you can now add the cream, cheese,  salt, pepper and nutmeg.

4. Let this cook for about a minute and leave it aside.

You may preheat the oven at 200°C for 15 mins now.


For the Spinach & Mushroom Filling:

1. Chop the veggies and keep aside.

 

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sauté for 45 secs. Mix in the blanched spinach and mushrooms. Stir well.

3. Add salt and pepper and let it cook. Mushrooms will start giving out water. Cook it until almost all the water is gone.

4. Now add about 3 tbsp of our creamy cheese sauce to this mixture and mix well.

5. Get it off heat and keep aside.

For the Rustic Tomato Sauce:

1. Chop the veggies and keep them ready.

2. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add the garlic and onions. Sauté for 45 secs.

3. Now add in the carrots and celery. Let it cook for about 2 mins until soft.

4. Now add in the basil and tomato purée.Let it cook for 3 mins. Then proceed to adding oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for more 2 mins.

5. The colour of the sauce would have changed by now. Get it off heat and keep aside.

Assembling the Cannelloni:

Remember to preheat the oven at 200°C for 15 mins before you assemble.

1. Now in a baking dish, place a few basil leaves randomly (optional). Then spread a generous layer of the rustic tomato sauce.

2. Divide the filling into 4 equal portions. In a separate plate or a flat surface, place one lasagne sheet and place one portion of the filling at either end of the sheet. Carefully roll and place it on the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining 3 lasagne sheets.

3. Once all have been placed, spread the remaining creamy cheese sauce covering the cannelloni. Sprinkle some grated mozzarella cheese and bake for 10 -12 mins at 180°C.

4. Once ready just sprinkle some chopped parsley and serve.

Enjoy!!

Notes & Tips:

1. For Jains:

• The creamy cheese sauce remains as it is.
• In the rustic tomato sauce, you may omit the onions and garlic. Celery and carrots too. Instead just add 1-2 bay leaf, tomato purée  basil (7-8) and 1 tbsp mix herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary etc.) Let it boil for 3-5 mins and keep aside.
• For the Spinach filling, instead of garlic add ½ tsp finely chopped ginger. You may substitute mushrooms for ¾ cup boiled corn kernels.
• Proceed as it is!

2. Alternatively, spinach can be combined with cottage cheese or corn.

3. I boiled the lasagne in the same water that I used for blanching the spinach! 

4. The creamy cheese sauce is similar to our regular white sauce. We just add in the cheese and fresh cream to make it richer!

Leave your experiences in the comments section! I'd love to know how did you like it!

Spinach & Cheese Lasagne

When it comes to food, I believe, people are divided into two - ones who eat to live and ones who live to eat, I obviously belong to the latter. Taking my love for food further I thought of penning down the experiments in my kitchen. 

Being an amateur blogger and cook, please feel free to post any comments, tips, queries that you may have.

So yesterday I made this Spinach & Cheese lasagne for dinner. A successful & delicious attempt.

Serves 4. Preparation Time: 20 - 30 mins. Baking Time: 20 mins  

Ingredients:

For Lasagne:

6 readymade lasagne sheets

For Spinach Filling:

1 1/2 cup washed & finely chopped spinach

1 cup grated cottage cheese (paneer)

3 - 4 spring onions (shallots) finely chopped

3 tbsp shallot greens

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp crushed green chillies

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & pepper as per taste

For Tomato Sauce: 

3 medium sized tomatoes, blanched

1/2 cup cream 

3 cloves garlic

3-4 basil leaves

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp oregano

2 tbsp capsico sauce or red tobasco sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp red chilli powder

Salt as per taste

For Cheese Sauce:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp wheat flour, sifted

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated cheese (Cheddar)

For Garnish:

3 tbsp grated cheese

2-3 basil leaves

Method:

Lasagne Sheet

1. Take enough water in a deep & wide vessel and bring it to a boil. Now add some salt & oil and add the lasagne sheets. Let it cook for about 10 mins. Alternatively, follow the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, drain and gently run through cold water and set aside. 

* Readymade lasagne sheets enlarge after boiling. 

Spinach filling:

2. Take the onions and garlic and finely chop them. I have used a chopper. Chop the greens as well. 

 

2. Similarly chop the well washed spinach and grate the cottage cheese.

 

3. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions, garlic & shallot greens. 

4. Then add the ginger & crushed green chillies. 

5. Add the spinach and salt and let it reduce. Once reduced, add the grated cottage cheese and pepper. Cook for about 3-4 mins till the water from spinach has reduced. Keep aside.

Tomato Sauce:

6. Now for the tomato sauce, roughly chop the tomatoes and add in a blender/mixer/chopper. 

Add to it cream, garlic, basil, capsico sauce, ketchup, oregano,red chilli powder, sugar, salt & pepper and blend them. We don't want a smooth purée so make sure its mixed well and rough in texture. 

Transfer the same to another vessel and bring to a boil. Keep aside.

Cheese Sauce:

7. For the cheese sauce, take some butter in a pan. Let it melt completely and then add the wheat flour stirring continuously to avoid any lumps. The colour will start changing and we now add the milk gradually, stirring the mixture simultaneously for a smooth sauce. The sauce will begin to thicken. Now add the grated cheese, salt & pepper.

8. Remove from heat and keep aside as it tends to thicken while cooling.

Placement & Baking:

9. Now, grease your baking dish with butter. and spread a spoonful of tomato sauce.  You could also place basil leaves for added flavour.

10. Now place the lasagne sheets to cover your vessel. Evenly spread the spinach mixture over it followed by some cheese sauce. 

11. Cover it with lasagne sheet again and repeat Step 10. 

12. Cover with lasagne sheet again and coat thoroughly with the tomato sauce. Garnish it with grated cheese and basil. 

13. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 mins at 220°C for first 10 mins and balance at 200°C.

Baking time can differ depending on the oven and heating.

14. Serve hot with some garlic bread & soup.

Notes & Tips:

1. Please remember to decide the baking vessel as the number of sheets and layers shall vary accordingly. 

You can also make the lasagne sheets at home and substitute. 

2. To make it more authentic, you can also substitute cottage cheese aka paneer for ricotta cheese.

2. Following is an easy & quick method for blanching tomatoes.

In a deep vessel bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes & cut a cross on its bottom. Once the water begins to boil, drop in the tomatoes. Let it sit for about 5 mins & drain. 

Now peel the skin and use. 

   3. For Jains:

In the spinach filling skip the onions and garlic. Firstly sauté the ginger green chilli paste and then add the cabbage (1/4 cup, chopped) & spinach. Add salt & let it cook until the water burns out. Add paneer and adjust the remaining spices as per taste. 

For the tomato gravy, simply skip the garlic and increase the basil to 5-6 leaves and proceed.

The Jain version tastes equally delicious!