Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni .....and a new chopping board

There are only so many BBQ's someone can take and despite the hot weather today, we will be tucking into this lovely vegetarian cannelloni for dinner instead .....outside of course!

It does take time to put together but it's not difficult...and well worth it in my opinion. You could always add some bacon or chorizo into the tomato sauce element of the dish to make it a bit more meaty if you wished.....and that's where my new chopping board would have come into its own.

I was recently sent a Joseph Joseph Chopping Board Food Station to try out from Find me a Gift company. The beauty of the board is that it comes with 3 different colour coded boards (for meat, fish and veg) all mounted onto a glass worktop saver. I don't know about you but I constantly find myself washing my chopping board when putting meals together to avoid cross contamination - this puts a stop to all that, so in effect saves you a bit of time. The price is fairly reasonable too, considering you get in essence 3 chopping boards and a worktop saver for the £17.99 you pay. It's probably not something I would have even considered buying for myself, but would be a great gift for someone who likes to cook.

Anyway, back to the cannelloni and you have a number of serving options - a crisp green salad, steamed vegetables or perhaps just some fresh homemade bread! Whatever you choose I promise you will enjoy it, even my hubby who is a self confessed carnivore loved it.

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Ingredients: to serve 6 greedy people

For the Cheese Sauce

50g Butter

50g Flour

700ml Milk

100g Cheddar, grated

Handful of grated Parmesan

1/2TSP of Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper

For the Tomato Sauce

1 Onion. chopped

2 Garlic cloves, chopped

400g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

Pinch Sugar

Salt and Pepper

Splash of Balsamic Vinegar

Bunch of basil, leaves torn

For the Filling

500g Defrosted Frozen Spinach

250g Tub of Ricotta

Handful of grated Parmesan

1 Egg, beaten

Pinch Nutmeg

Slat and Pepper

approx 20 Cannelloni tubes

Method:

Heat oven to 190c/Gas 5

Step 1: Make the tomato sauce by frying off the onion and garlic in oil, then add the tin of tomatoes, 100ml water, sugar, salt and pepper, basil and balsamic vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Whilst the tomato sauce is simmering make up the filling for the cannelloni by simply mixing all the ingredients together.

Step 3: Spoon the spinach mixture into the tubes and lay in a single layer in a large buttered baking dish.

Step 4: Make the cheese sauce by melting the butter then stirring in the flour. Gradually whisk in the milk, bring to the boil, whisking continuously until it thickens then take off the heat and add the cheese and seasonings. Pour over the cannelloni.

Step 5: Finally spoon the tomato mixture on top and bake for around 40 minutes until golden.