Cannelloni with spinach and ricotta

Cannelloni is Italian for "large reeds" are a cylindrical type of pasta generally served baked with a filling and covered by a sauce in Italian cuisine. Some types of cannelloni need to be boiled beforehand, while for others it is enough to use a more dilute sauce or filling. Popular stuffings include spinach and ricotta or minced beef. The sauces typically used are Napoletani underneath and besciamella sauce to cover the top. It is a typical dish of the Catalan cuisine, traditionally consumed on Christmas day. (Wikipedia)

What you need

• 300 g spinach
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 onion, chopped finely
• 1 clove of garlic, squashed
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400 gr)
• 1 bay leaf
• small handfull of basil leaves 
• 1/2 lemon, grated zest of lemon and juice
• 200 g ricotta
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp grated parmesan
• About 10 tubes of cannelloni
• 125 g mozzarella ball, sliced

 How to prepare it

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Put a bit of olive oil and the spinach in a large pan over a low heat. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and cover. Stir occasionally. Place in a bowl and set to one side to cool enough to handle.
2. Heat some olive oil and gently cook the onion until soft. Add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf, a few basil leaves and lemon zest and let it gently simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Squeeze the moisture out of the spinach into the bowl. Chop the spinach. Return the spinach to the liquid in the bowl. Stir in the ricotta, beaten egg and parmesan. Season to taste.
4. Fill the mixture into the cannelloni tubes and lay them in an oven dish.
5. Spread the tomato sauce over the cannelloni. Lay the mozzarella slices on top, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season. 
6. Place in the oven and cook untill the top is golden (about 40 minutes).
7. Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
8. Enjoy!!!