Easy Italian Recipes

 MAKES 8-10 servings

- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Ib (250 g) Italian sweet fennel sausages, casings discarded and meat coarsely chopped
- 1/2 Ib (250 g) ground (minced) beef sirloin
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomato purée
- 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
For the filling
- 1 Ib (500 g) spinach, stemmed
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Ib (1 kg) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (6 oz/185 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 lb fresh egg pasta dough

Here, tubes of fresh pasta filled with creamy spinach and ricotta are topped with a savory meat and tomato sauce. The sauce, filling, and pasta can be made up to a day in advance, and then the dish can be assembled just before baking and serving.

To make the sauce, in a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the sausage, beef, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the basii, remove from the heat, and set aside.

To make the filling, in a saucepan, combine the spinach, 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/ 60 ml) water, and a pinch of salt. Cover, piace over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool, then squeeze to extract the excess liquid. Finely chop the spinach. In a bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, eggs, and 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Make the pasta dough, then divide and roll out each piece into a sheet 1/16 inch (2 mm). Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and, using a knife or pastry wheel, cut into 4-inch (10-cm) squares. Layer the squares fiat on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so they don't touch and separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Spread a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of two 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dishes. Lay a pasta square on a work surface, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling down one end of the square, and then roll into a tube. Place the tube, seam side down, in one of the prepared dishes. Fili the remaining pasta squares in the same way and arrange them in the dishes. Spread the remaining sauce on top of the rolls, dividing it evenly between the dishes. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top, again dividing it evenly.
Bake the cannelloni until they are tender and heated through and the sauce and cheese are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Buon appetito !