1X 400g jar pasta sauce of your choiceI used Portobello mushroom and garlic
2red onionsfinely chopped
2carrotsfinely chopped
250gbutton mushroomsfinely chopped
1/4cupsliced black olives
1cinnamon quill
2dried red chillies
2garlic clovesfinely chopped
1/4cupred wine
small bunch of fresh rosemaryleaves chopped
few sprigs of thyme
handful of oregano leaveschopped
handful of basil leavestorn
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
2tablespoonsolive oil
1bay leaf
for the white sauce
500gEnglish spinach
1/4teaspoonground nutmeg
300mllight pouring cream
400mlsour cream
1 1/4cupfreshly grated parmesan
grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of half a lemon
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1teaspoonoil
for the topping
1/4cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese
few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Instructions
To make the red sauce
Heat oil on medium in a large casserole. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon twill, red chilli, garlic and onion. Sauté for a few minutes until onions are tender. Add carrots, mushroom, chickpeas, olives, rosemary, oregano, thyme and basil. Sauté for 5 minutes, mixing constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low. Add the canned tomatoes, pasta sauce and red wine. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom. You may at this point add 1/4 or 1/2 cup of water to get the right consistency (slightly loose but still thick pasta sauce consistency). After 25 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. Pick out the red chill and bay leaf. Discard. Pick also the cinnamon quill and reserve for assembling later.
To make the white sauce
Wash and pat dry spinach leaves. Chop them finely. In a large frying pan, heat oil on medium and add spinach. Toss spinach around for a couple of minutes until leaves start wilting and look glazed. Remove from heat. Season with nutmeg. Place in a large bowl. Add cream, sour cream and parmesan. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.
To assemble
Preheat oven to 180C. Take a large 23cm wide and at least 12cm deep ovenproof casserole pan. Grease the insides with a light oil spray or melted butter. Add half the red sauce. Stand cannelloni upright in the sauce, making sure the tubes are next to each other and quite snug. Press down gently to make sure they are touching the base of the pan.
Spoon in half the white spinach sauce over, around and into the tubes. Sprinkle over some parmesan. Spoon over the remaining red sauce around, into and over the tubes. Repeat with the white spinach sauce. With the palm of your hand, gently push the cannelloni tubes further down into the pan. Top with the remaining parmesan and rosemary sprigs. Insert the cinnamon quill next to one of the cannelloni tubes. Cover the pan and rest for at least 30 minutes (this helps to soak up some sauce into the pasta tubes, making them soft).
When ready to bake, place in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Bake covered until browned and cooked on top. Serve hot with a chunky basil pesto and salad greens.