The colder the weather gets, the more I crave heavier, stuffed pasta. These creamy ricotta and mortadella stuffed cannelloni are so incredibly tasty. The sauce has a bit of a kick and some charred tomato bits for a smokey flavor. A Sangiovese would be delicious with this and do not forget the crusty bread! You will want to clean up every bit of leftovers from your plate with the bread! I didn’t smother the top of the cannelloni in cheese because there was already plenty in the filling but you can always sprinkle a little bit of Parmigiano or mozzarella if you like!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb cannelloni pasta
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mortadella
- 4 fresh San Marzano tomatoes, quartered
- 28 oz tomato puree
- Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
- 1-2 garlic clove, minced
- Optional: Grated mozzarella or Parmigiano for garnish
Process:
- Set broiler to high. Put quartered tomatoes on a sheet tray and drizzle them with a little olive oil and salt. Cook them under the broiler. Note: Every broiler is different, watch the tomatoes closely and remove once they have a nice charred color to them.
- Turn off the broiler and preheat the oven to 450 F.
- Transfer tomatoes to a saute pan and add the tomato puree. Bring up to a simmer and add salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Let simmer on medium-low.
- In a pot of salted, boiling water, blanch the cannelloni pasta to soften it (2-3 minutes before al dente). Note: Do not cook the pasta completely, it should still be firm when you remove it from the water. This will make sure the pasta doesn’t overcook in the oven. Drain and set aside.
- Using a food processor, combine the ricotta and mortadella and blend until smooth. Salt to taste. Transfer mixture to a piping bag or ziplock bag with a hole in the side for filling.
- Fill the cannelloni with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in a baking dish.
- Pour the tomato sauce over the cannelloni once they’re all filled. Note: You could sprinkle some mozzarella on top if you like but I found that there is enough cheese in the cannelloni to skip this.
- Bake the cannelloni for 10-15 minutes. Note: If you added cheese on top, cook cannelloni until cheese is browned and bubbly.
- Serve with crusty bread and a Sangiovese wine!
