Spending a lot of time out and about during the summer means there is less time in the kitchen and less time for making complicated dishes. You want something that is easy to make, easy to transport and can be prepared in advance if necessary. One such dish is Cannelloni. This is another extremely versatile recipe, you can take the basic version and add any filling you like which is great for kids because you can hide any amount of disliked ingredients inside the Cannelloni tubes! With kids half the battle is a mental one, what they can’t see won’t hurt them, case in point here is with the spinach. Mine would never eat spinach on its own but don’t question its presence in this.
I saw Jamie Oliver do a great Broccoli and Cauliflower Cannelloni on TV recently, he reduced down the veg to almost a mush, added some seasoning, chilli and anchovies and made the sauce with Creme Fraiche and Parmesan. I tried it recently and while it may not sound great on paper it really worked. Careful with the anchovies though!
Cannelloni with Mince, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese.
Ingredients
250g Steak Mince (optional)
1 small jar of ragu pasta sauce
1 Pack of Cannelloni tubes or some pasta sheets if you prefer to roll your own
1 Bag of baby Spinach
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 clove of crushed Garlic
1 tsp dried Nutmeg
1 pack of fresh Basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Paprika
175g Goats cheese
2 or 3 handfuls of grated Parmesean
1 bag of Buffalo Mozeralla
Method
Slowly fry the onion and dried spices in a little olive oil, when done remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat up and fry the mince until brown. Return the onion mix and add the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Turn off the heat and add the goats cheese and a handful of parmesan. Mix well, season and allow to cool.
Stuff the mix into cannelloni tubes, I use four per adult or two per child. Cover the bottom of a baking dish in a layer of the ragu tomato sauce and place the stuffed Cannelloni on top. Cover with Parmesan and mozzarella and half the basil leaves. Cook in the oven for 30-40mins until golden. When done decorate with the remaining basil and serve.