Juicy spinach and beef cannelloni, a delicious combination of flavours that is sure to impress. Combine with a fresh salad and red wine for a romantic Valentine’s day dinner.
Ingredients
Cannelloni Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 1 small carrot, finely diced
- 400g can crushed tomatoes
- ½ celery stock, finely diced.
- 250ml (1 cup) chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cannelloni
- 8-10 cannelloni tubes ( you can also use fresh lasagna sheets if you want bigger cannelloni)
- 1 cup melting cheese of choice
Spinach and Beef filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ onion, finely diced
- 250g beef mince
- 100g fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- Pinch of pepper
Directions
Cannelloni Sauce
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, saute for 2 minutes until translucent.
- Add carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining sauce ingredients. Stir, cover with a lid and simmer over low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Use a stick blender or blender to blitz smooth or use as is if you prefer a chunky sauce. Set aside until assembly.
Filling
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add beef mince and cook until brown, making sure to break up any lumps.
- Stir in spinach, cook until wilted.
- Add in the crumbled beef cube, pepper, and ¼ cup of cannelloni sauce. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Assembly and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Transfer beef filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Stand cannelloni tubes upright in a container, then pipe in filling. If using lasagne sheets spread desired amount of filling on each sheet and roll.
- Spread ¾ cup of sauce in a baking dish and lay cannelloni on top. Pour over the remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle with cheese, loosely cover with foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake for a further 10 minutes until cheese golden.
- Remove from the oven and serve with salad and beverage of choice.