Vegetable Cannelloni Recipe

This tasty stuffed pasta is easy to prepare. Serve with garlic bread and salad

8 cannelloni tubes

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup diced mushrooms

1 250 g packet frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

1 small ripe tomato, diced

1 cup low-fat reduced-salt cottage or ricotta cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups tomato-based pasta sauce, Napoletana or similar

1/2 cup grated low-fat mozzarella

Italian parsley sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 180°C

Spray a lasagna dish or a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray

Bring a large pan of water to the boil

Add cannelloni; stir, then boil over a high heat for 10 minutes or until 'al dente'

Drain carefully in a colander and place cannelloni on a clean tea towel

In a pan. heat oil over a medium heat and fry onion. garlic and mushrooms until onion is soft

Remove from heat; add spinach tomato, cottage cheese and nuts; Mix well

Add pepper to taste

Pour 1 cup tomato pasta sauce into prepared dish

Spoon spinach mixture into cannelloni tubes, dividing evenly

Place cannelloni in dish, in a single layer

Pour remaining pasta sauce over top

Sprinkle with mozzarella

Bake for 30 minutes. or until golden and bubbling hot

Serve garnished with parsley. accompanied by a green salad

To keep pasta 'al dente', after cooking it, drain it immediately, or add 1 cup of cold water to stop the boiling process, then drain the pasta

To avoid cannelloni tearing, drain carefully in a colander, then place on a clean tea towel, spaced to prevent sticking, to absorb all the water