- Egg free
- Seafood free
- Shellfish free
- Sesame free
- Soy free
- Peanut free
- Vegetarian
- High in dietary fibre
- High in protein
- No added sugar
- 3 serves veg or fruit
A delicious and filling pasta favourite, pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni is easy to prepare, family-friendly and perfect for a meat-free meal.
- Serves6
- Cook time1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 700g Kent pumpkin, seeded, cut into 10cm pieces
- 1/4 cup sage, finely chopped
- 280g baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 300g fresh ricotta
- 1 lemon, rind finely grated
- 1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted
- 250g pkt cannelloni shells
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 700g passata
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 25g butter
- 1/2 cup sage leaves, to serve
- Salad leaves, to serve
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease an 8-cup (2L) capacity shallow ovenproof dish.
Step 2
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place the pumpkin in a single layer on the tray and spray with olive oil. Season. Bake for 35 mins or until the pumpkin is tender. Sprinkle with chopped sage and bake for a further 5 mins or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat a large, lightly greased frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook, covered, for 1-2 mins or until spinach wilts. Drain well. Set aside to cool.
Step 4
Use a large metal spoon to scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and place in a large bowl. Use a fork to coarsely mash. Add the spinach, ricotta, lemon rind and pine nuts and stir to combine. Season.
Step 5
Heat the oil in the large frying pan over medium. Cook onion, stirring, for 4-5 mins or until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 min or until aromatic. Add the passata and 1/2 cup (125ml) water and remove from the heat. Season. Spread one-quarter of the passata mixture over the base of the prepared dish.
Step 6
Spoon pumpkin mixture into the cannelloni shells and place, side by side, over the passata in a single layer. Top with remaining passata mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 10-12 mins or until the cheese is golden.
Step 7
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the sage leaves and cook, turning, for 1-2 mins or until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Sprinkle cannelloni with crispy sage leaves. Serve with salad leaves.
Recipe tip
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Use it up: Consider buying a larger pumpkin than needed and use any leftovers to roast pumpkin pieces to add to a salad (it’s delicious paired with fetta and a green salad) or mixed with mashed potato for a colourful side dish. Another hot tip? Reserve the pumpkin seeds, dry thoroughly and toss in oil and salt before slow-roasting in the oven for about 4 hours to create a perfect snack.
Clever storage: Pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cooking tip: We used a 29cm x 19cm baking dish which fit the cannelloni shells perfectly in one layer.
Pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni recipe
This delicious and filling pasta favourite is easy to prepare, family-friendly and perfect for a meat-free meal. Pumpkin, spinach and ricotta cannelloni has been created using Kent pumpkin (also known as Jap), which has a soft, orange flesh and a slightly nutty flavour. Other types of pumpkin, such as butternut, Queensland blue, and golden nugget also work well, but have slightly different flavours. The pear-shaped butternut is sweeter in taste and the most versatile, while golden nugget has a lovely orange skin and is best cooked with the skin on.
How do you fill a cannelloni tube?
Cannelloni tubes are easy to fill using a small spoon, although you can use a piping bag if you prefer. You can also make a piping bag out of a sealed ziplock bag simply by filling the bag, sealing the zip, then snipping off a corner.
Can you freeze the filling of pumpkin and spinach cannelloni?
You can save time on the day by preparing the mixture for the pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni ahead. You can also freeze the roasted pumpkin, either in pieces or mashed, for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight before combining with the spinach and ricotta.
How to choose and prepare pumpkin
A fresh pumpkin should have a hard, thick skin, bright-coloured flesh and be heavy for its size. You need a large, sharp knife to prepare your pumpkin and spinach cannelloni. If you are cooking with Kent (Jap) pumpkins, it is often easier to cut them into smaller segments before peeling as it helps to keep their shape.
Love this recipe?
Enjoying this pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni recipe and looking for more pumpkin ideas? Check out this recipe for rice and fetta stuffed pumpkin using a butternut pumpkin for the ultimate meat-free main. Pumpkin is also great as a pizza topping and its colour adds fun to the dish. Try these pumpkin, thyme and caramelised onion pizzas or this super-fast caramelised pumpkin and mushroom pizza. Both are family-friendly – and delicious!
FAQs
Pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni
- Serves6
- Cook time1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 700g Kent pumpkin, seeded, cut into 10cm pieces
- 1/4 cup sage, finely chopped
- 280g baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- 300g fresh ricotta
- 1 lemon, rind finely grated
- 1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted
- 250g pkt cannelloni shells
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 700g passata
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 25g butter
- 1/2 cup sage leaves, to serve
- Salad leaves, to serve
Description
A delicious and filling pasta favourite, pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni is easy to prepare, family-friendly and perfect for a meat-free meal.
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease an 8-cup (2L) capacity shallow ovenproof dish.
Step 2
Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place the pumpkin in a single layer on the tray and spray with olive oil. Season. Bake for 35 mins or until the pumpkin is tender. Sprinkle with chopped sage and bake for a further 5 mins or until tender. Set aside to cool.
Step 3
Meanwhile, heat a large, lightly greased frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook, covered, for 1-2 mins or until spinach wilts. Drain well. Set aside to cool.
Step 4
Use a large metal spoon to scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and place in a large bowl. Use a fork to coarsely mash. Add the spinach, ricotta, lemon rind and pine nuts and stir to combine. Season.
Step 5
Heat the oil in the large frying pan over medium. Cook onion, stirring, for 4-5 mins or until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 min or until aromatic. Add the passata and 1/2 cup (125ml) water and remove from the heat. Season. Spread one-quarter of the passata mixture over the base of the prepared dish.
Step 6
Spoon pumpkin mixture into the cannelloni shells and place, side by side, over the passata in a single layer. Top with remaining passata mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 10-12 mins or until the cheese is golden.
Step 7
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the sage leaves and cook, turning, for 1-2 mins or until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Sprinkle cannelloni with crispy sage leaves. Serve with salad leaves.