Baked Spinach and Ricotta

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 fresh lasagne sheets (15cm/6″ x 11cm/4.5″)
• ½ cup Mozarella cheese, shredded
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Filling

• 250g/8oz frozen spinach (pre chopped)
• 500g/1lb ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ fresh nutmeg, grated (or ⅛ tsp nutmeg powder)
• ½ tsp salt
• Black pepper

Tomato Sauce

• 700g/24oz passata (pureed tomatoes)
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful basil leaves (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• Black pepper

Cooking Process

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

Tomato Sauce

2. Heat oil in a 22cm/9″ ovenproof pan over medium high heat.
3. Add garlic and sauté for 10 seconds then add onion.
4. Cook onion until translucent and starting to turn golden, then add the remaining Tomato Sauce ingredients.
5. Simmer for 2 minutes to bring the flavours together, then remove from heat.
6. Scoop out 1 cup of the Tomato Sauce which will be used to drizzle over the dish at the end.

Filling

1. Defrost the spinach in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.
2. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach using your hands, then place in a large bowl.
3. Add remaining Filling ingredients and mix well to combine. I find it easiest (fastest) to do this with my hands.
4. Assembling
   As per the photo, lay out the lasagne sheet with the shorter end in front of you. The reason is that you want to roll these up so they are fatter than cannelloni.
   Place ⅓ cup (packed) of filling onto the lasagne sheet. Dab some water on the end furthest away from you (to seal the roll), then roll up starting from the end closest to you. Finish with the seal down.
5. Continue with remaining lasagne sheets.
6. Cut rolls.

Bon Appetit!