Brousse and Spinach Cannelloni

A dense brousse and spinach filling tucked into tender pasta tubes. Resting under a creamy béchamel and a touch of tomato, with a well-browned parmesan crust.

• Prep time: 40 min
• Cook time: 35 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 661
• Protein: 33 g
• Carbs: 54 g
• Fat: 35 g

Ingredients

• 12 piece Cannelloni ( dry )
• 500 g Spinach ( fresh, stemmed )
• 250 g Brousse (fresh sheep's milk cheese made from whey) ( drained )
• 80 g Parmesan cheese ( grated )
• 1 piece Egg ( whole )
• 1 pinch Nutmeg ( ground )
• 1 piece Garlic ( minced )
• 40 g Minimum butter sweet ( for the roux )
• 40 g Wheat flour ( for the roux )
• 500 ml Whole milk ( cold )
• 150 ml Tomato juice ( to moisten the dish )
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper ground
• 250 g Ricotta Cheese ( drained )
• 200 ml Tomato passata

Instructions

1. Prepare the spinach

   Sauté the spinach in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and minced garlic. When the leaves wilt and release their water, squeeze them firmly to extract all residual liquid.

2. Make the filling

   Chop the spinach with a knife. In a mixing bowl, combine the brousse, ricotta, egg, half of the parmesan, and nutmeg. Fold in the spinach. The filling should be homogeneous and firm.

3. Make the béchamel

   Melt the butter, add the flour, and cook the roux until it foams. Pour in the cold milk all at once and whisk over the heat until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fill and assemble

   Fill the cannelloni using a piping bag without leaving air bubbles. Line the bottom of the dish with a mixture of passata and tomato juice, arrange the pasta, then cover with the béchamel and the remaining tomato sauce.

5. Bake and gratin

   Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes. The crust should be golden and the cheese should bubble around the edges of the dish.

Chef's tips

• Squeeze the spinach as if you were making a tennis ball; moisture is the enemy of cannelloni.
• If the béchamel is too thick, loosen it with a little warm milk before coating.

Storage

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven at 150°C covered with foil to keep it tender.