Sunday 15 April 2007

Spinach and Corn Cannelloni


One of my creations - Spicy Spinach and Corn Cannelloni in a homemade spicy Tomato sauce. I make this often, especially when I crave an Italian dinner.

Though I like to go out for such meals, it can be often trying to eat out with 2 small ones in tow. I don't know what happens to them when we go to a restaurant, its like they change their personalities 360 degrees. Paper Napkins and crayons up the nose, the constant bickering between the two boys, Spaghetti going into their ears instead of their little mouths as they twirl it around the forks etc etc....can get too much for me. So, I try and put off going out to eat as much as I can...I'll just have to wait until they are a bit older. So..I improvise and make such meals at home. Here is the recipe:

  • 1 packet - Oven ready Cannelloni ( Very convenient)
  • For the sauce: 3-4 cans Italian Plum tomatoes, 1 large red onion,1 small green pepper, 5-6 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp-oregano, 2-3 leaves of Fresh Basil, Salt, Cracked black pepper, Chili flakes, and a tbsp of sugar to balance the tartness of the tomatoes, Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
  • For the Filling: 2 bunches of spinach- washed and chopped, 1 cup of corn, 1- red onion-chopped, 2 tomatoes, 1 tbsp-paprika, 1 tbsp-chili powder, 2 tbsp- Taco seasoning Mix, Salt,Pepper to taste. Olive Oil - 1 tsp
  • Shredded Italian and Cheddar blend of cheeses to top off the pasta.
  • Parmesan Cheese
Make the sauce first: Heat the oil in a deep pot. Add the chopped garlic, onions and green pepper. Saute till soft. Add the tomatoes and the seasonings. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer as long as you can. I let mine simmer for an hour. Towards the end, give it a whirl with a hand-held blender. Add the fresh basil at this point, and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

Make the filling: Saute onions in the oil. Add the tomatoes, corn and spinach. Mix well, add the seasonings...be generous with the taco seasoning, this adds a wonderful flavor to the mixture.
Cool and set aside.

Assemble the Pasta: Spread the Pasta sauce in a pan. Fill each Cannelloni cavity with the Spinach and Corn mixture. Use a small spoon, it will make it easier. Fill all the Cannelloni this way and put them in the Sauce mixture. You can set this aside for half an hour before baking so that the Oven ready Cannelloni can get soft.

When ready to bake,layer some more sauce on top to completely cover the pasta. Sprinkle the cheeses on top.
Bake at 350F, in the center of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese melts and pasta is completely soft. Serve hot with some garlic bread, and a side salad for a complete meal. Here is another look.... enjoy!

Upcoming Post Preview: Recipe for Sugar High Friday Event hosted by the lovely Monisha of Coconut Chutney.

39 comments:

Sangeeta said...

Yummy recipe Trupti. Can't wait to try this out. Thanks for sharing :)

Manasi said...

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!!! funny anecdote.. can get to u in a restaurant.. but very funny to us readers!
Cannelloni looks WOW!! too good!

Bong Mom said...

hee hee I can imagine the scene...it was same here last year. This year S enjoys eating out it seems, so its fun :)

Though am not a big Italian fun, your spread does look tempting

Bong Mom said...

sorry meant "fan"

Shah cooks said...

sounds like fun for the person sitting behind u in the italian restaurant.:) don't worry, soon they will grow out of it. u don't use mozarella for the topping?

Anonymous said...

Oh, I got a bit busy and missed 2 posts of yours ! Cannelloni looks very tempting and that vermicilli upma is just mmmmmmmm......... :-)

I am going to try that upma soon :-)

musical said...

Hey Trupti,

First of all, i am hungry-so please give me some canneloni to eat-NOW :)). ok lemme try some Gujarati (don't hit me if i don't say it correctly)-mane cha sathe joiye :). btw, is it cha or saa?

and yes, the usually well behaved, adorable kiddies do take on a different avatar once we take them for a dine-out :)

hugs,
surili.

archana said...

I could visualize the scene in the restaurant, your kids are so cute :)

Nice dish Trupti. Never made this before but will surely try your recipe :)I liked the spinach filling :)

Viji said...

You are very creative Trupti. I really could not stop smiling when i read your experience with your two kids. Could imagine your position. Tks for this recipe. Viji

Roopa said...

That's funny i can imagine how it is dining out with little kids is a challenge so for now we do not dine out only during parties.

Fabulous recipe !!

Sia said...

ha ha ha ha... choo cute those two naughty, adorable cutie pies:) may be they very well know homemade cannelloni is much better than eating out:)

Coffee said...

The looks gorgeous!!!! Till now I used to make with spinach and ricotta cheese.... corn sounds a good option :)

Thoda mota thaye ne pachi hotel ma maja karje.... tyan sudhi badhayene mast banavi ne khavdav ;)

Mandira said...

cannelloni looks delicious temptin. It's funny we ordered cannelloni last week at a local italian place. Yours looks better ;)

Mishmash ! said...

hahaha...spaghetti going into ears instead of mouth....:))) Cool :)hey,....is cannelloni and manicotti the same...?? i stuffed manicotti sometime back and cooked version look the same...its also tubular...i guess its basically the difference in pasta...not sure !

Shn

sunita said...

We love our pasta...your dish looks so good and tempting...as for the kids, I can imagine...its only in the last year that they seem to enjoy it and are not upto their tricks...

Saju said...

Yummmmmmmmm! looks so delish!

Swapna said...

Wow..The pasta looks amazing..I have never eaten it

bee said...

yours looks better than any restaurant version, trupti. hope the litle ones are doing fine now.

Richa said...

nice recipe. that corn+spinach filling w beans is so versatile, I use it in quesidilla as well.
tastes so good w garlic bread right.

Surya Hith said...

Yummy recipe trupti.Looks wonderful!1

Naresh M Bhat said...

Trupthi,
This is an intresting recipe.Gotta try this.thanks for sharing

Maneka Nirmal said...

it looks wonderful trupti..thanks for the recipe.

Sharmi said...

very informative recipe. I have never tried much of Italian recipes. will try this one for first time.

Kajal said...

Hi Trupti,
Very niceeeeee................ dish of Italian Delights.

Thanks for sharing good dish.:)

Anonymous said...

Looks yum and so colorful! Regarding restaurants outings, i hear you, T! It can't be a relaxing evening out with kids along! :)
The noise in restaurants lulls M to sleep and so it's not that difficult yet but I'm sure she'll outgrow that soon!! :)

Jobove - Reus said...

There visits the irreverent blog mas and iconoclast of the net in Reus-Catalunya (Spain)

Http: // telamamaria.blogspot.com

Thank you very much

P.D. I have visited yours and it(he,she) has liked to us very much. Congratulations

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

Hi, this dish looks amazing!! and the pictures are sooo tempting.....

FH said...

Hi Trupti,hope you are taking care of yourself.Tried to leave a comment on the latest post but there is no comment section open,so take care and hugs.See you on Monday:))

Pooja said...

yum yum yum.....! :)
Spinach and Corn Cannelloni is looking so Yummy! i wish to grab a piece of it just now... someday i will meet you and ask you to prepare this for me :D.
i love your post of Upma too.
i hope you and kids will be fine in health now.
take care dear.
-Pooja

Anonymous said...

funny to read about your naughty little ones..:-)

Cannlloni looks really delicious with tomato sauce..

Seema Bhat said...

Kids are adorable isn't it? Lovely spinach cannelloni. I made spinach enchiladas today.

Dilip said...

Looks good, Trupti. Consider using a slow cooker to make a richer sauce. I'll have to try a vegan version sometime!

Bong Mom said...

hey ts
take care and come back soon

Prema Sundar said...

Never tried this recipe.. looks good.. Yeah when we go out to restaurant with kids , it happens.

Lotus Reads said...

This looks irresistable, Trupti!

I make spinach-cannelloni with ricotta cheese (the usual Italian way), but yours looks SO MUCH yummier! Thank you for sharing!

Loved the anecdote by the way..takes me back to when my kids were younger! :)

Lotus Reads said...

Oh, also wanted to say, feel better soon! Will stay tuned for your sugar high recipe!

HAREKRISHNAJI said...

whose lovely paintings are those ?

Kribha said...

Dear Trupti,
It was fun to read what your kids do. My son also hates to sit in the restaurants. Many times we would pack the meal as soon as it arrives the table.I'm crazy about Italian food. Spinach and corn cannelloni looks tempting and mouth watering. I have bookmarked it. Will try it soon.

Mona said...

That looks delicious, Am sure gonna try that out, thnx for sharing!

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