How to make
Pour enough water into a large pot to boil the cannelloni. After boiling the water is salted and put the cannelloni in it for exactly 4 minutes. They are timed. Immediately remove them from the heat and place them in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking. After 10 minutes, strain them. They are set aside.
In a pan at a moderate temperature, pour a little olive oil, add crushed garlic, stir and add the spinach. Cook, until it softens. Transfer it onto a cutting board and cut it very finely.
Put the ricotta in a bowl, season with salt and black pepper, grated 2/3 of Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Stir and add the spinach.
Pour half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking pan.
Pour the stuffing into a piping bag with a star-shaped wide tip and fill the cannelloni on each opposite side. Arrange them in the baking pan with a distance between them, sprinkle them with oregano, pour the tomato sauce, which is well distributed on the cannelloni. Sprinkle them with mozzarella and then the parmesan.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake them at 390°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until they aquire a golden brown color.
The stuffed cannelloni with ricotta and baby spinach are very tasty.
Note: I used Italian tomato sauce in a bottle (De Cecco), grinded tomatoes without seeds and spices. If you do not have such tomato sauce, you can blend the tomato sauce in advance, in order to make it completely smooth.
The baby spinach can be replaced with plain spinach, but it must be very finely chopped, because it can block the tip. If you do not have a piping bag and a nozzle, it is possible to very carefully fill the cannelloni with a tiny spoon.
