Creamy ricotta and spinach filled cannelloni tubes are topped off with a tomato marina sauce then baked in the oven. This recipe is great as the shells do not need pre-boiling.
Sauce: Place tomatoes, basil, oregano, tomato paste, water, stock and garlic in a medium sized saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 15 - 20 minutes (while you prepare the stuffing and stuff the shells) The sauce will be very liquidly to start with.
Stuffing Place the ricotta, cheese, spinach, egg, pepper, nutmeg, garlic and diced bacon into a large glass or ceramic mixing bowl.
Using a metal spoon combine well until everything is thoroughly mixed together.
Fill the shells with the mixture. This can be done with your hands or a piping bag.
Cannelloni: Place the filled shells into a greased lasagne tray approximately 30cm x 20cm x 6cm.
Once all the shells are filled and in the tray add the parmesan cheese to the pasta sauce and mix together.
Pour the sauce over the shells and cover with the extra grated cheese for the topping.
Bake at 180 degrees C for 35-45 minutes or until the shells are cooked.
Serve with a crispy salad and plenty of garlic bread.