Vegetable Cannelloni

Directions

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

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Cooking Time: 45 minutes

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Serves 8

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8 cannelloni tubes

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4 teaspoons olive oil

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1 small onion, finely chopped

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2 cloves garlic, crushed

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1/2 cup diced mushrooms

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1 250g packet frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

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1 small ripe tomato, diced

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1 cup low fat reduced saslt cottage or ricotta cheese

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1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

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Freshly ground black pepper

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2 cups tomato based pasta sauce, Napoletana or similar

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1/2 cup grated low fat mozzarella

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Italian parsley sprigs for garnish

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1. Preheat oven to 180C. Spray a lasagna dish or baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.

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2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add cannelloni; stir, then boil over a high heat for 10 minutes or until 'al dente'. Drain carefully in a colander and place cannelloni on a clean teatowel.

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3. In a pan, heat oil over a medium heat and fry onion, garlic and mushrooms until onion is soft. Remove from heat; add spinach, tomato, cottage cheese and nuts; mix well. Add pepper to taste.

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4. Pour 1 cup tomato pasta sauce into prepared dish. Spoon spinach mixture into cannelloni tubes, dividing evenly. Place cannelloni in dish, in a single layer. Pour remaining pasta sauce over top. Sprinkle with mozzarella.

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5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling hot. Serve garnished with parsley, accompanied by a green salad.

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COOK'S TIPS

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To keep pasta 'al dente', after cooking it, drain it immediately, or add 1 cup of cold water to stop the boiling process, then drain the pasta.

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To avoid cannelloni tearing, drain carefully in a colander, then place on a clean teatowel, spaced to prevent sticking, to absorb all the water.

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Recipe from Quick, Light & Delicious

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