This is really Jane's recipe, but I take credit for introducing sheep-milk feta to the spinach version - and for creating a meat option which is newly popular with my carnivorous, protein-seeking children. They're both real easy (Peter).
Cannelloni
Traditional cannelloni often uses a bechamel sauce - needlessly calorific and time-consuming IOHO.
IngredientsCannelloni shells (assume that people will eat 3 or 4 each)
Mozzarella grated for topping Tomato Sauce Tinned or fresh tomatoes lightly blended (you'll need 6-10 cups of sauce) Marjoram or other herb Sugar to taste (maybe 1 teaspoon per cup of liquid) Salt to taste Meat Filling 
1 pound lean ground beef
I onion, very finely chopped 4 cloves garlic 2 or 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1/4 cup sour cream Buncha basil 1 teaspoon ground pepper 2 or 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 or 2 eggs |
Spinach filling
10 - 12 oz frozen spinach (or chard or kale) squeezed of water and chopped 10 oz sheep-milk feta, crumbled 10 oz ricotta cheese 1.5 teaspoons nutmeg 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or similar 1 teaspoon pepper 1 or 2 eggs 
Some of our frozen Swiss chard from last winter/spring.
Meat method1. Fry onions till golden brown, add garlic, stir for a minute or two.
2. Add meat and cook, crushing out lumps and boiling off most juices. 3. Let cool a bit, place in bowl and add herbs, sour cream, egg, lemon juice and pepper. Mix thoroughly. 
4. Spoon into shells, using teaspoon and fingers (it's messy). Lay on an oven dish coated with a little sauce.
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Spinach method
1. Place all ingredients into bowl and mix well.
2. Spoon into shells and lay on lightly sauce-coated oven dish.
Finishing steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Arrange shells compactly on dish. Ladle on tomato sauce and cover shells. 
3. Place in oven and cook around 40 minutes.
4. Near the end, take out and sprinkle some Mozzarella cheese on top. Add extra sauce if things look a bit dry. 5. Return to oven for last 5 minutes. 6. Ya could serve with garlic bread perhaps, or just crusty Italian bread. |
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