Bring the flavours of Italy into your home with this traditional Italian cannelloni.

This is one of the tastiest pasta dishes on the planet and it is pretty straightforward once in the oven. The prep can seem a little tedious but once cooked, it is definitely worth it. An amazing, comforting and super tasty recipe.

What to do

First off, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 minute before adding sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes. Set to one side. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.

Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in small batches). When it has cooled enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water and roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Ingredients

Prep: 50 Mins / Cook: 40 Mins (Serves 10)

For the tomato sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
8 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 x 400g cans chopped chopped tomatoes
small bunch basil leaves
For the topping
2 x 250g tubs mascarpone
3 tbsp milk
85g Parmesan
(or vegetarian alternative), grated
2 x 125g balls mozzarella, sliced
For the filling
1kg spinach
100g Parmesan
(or vegetarian alternative), grated
3 x 250g tubs ricotta
large pinch grated nutmeg
400g dried cannelloni