Bill Granger's pumpkin cannelloni recipe
For this creamy pasta dish Bill Granger travelled to the Isle of Wight to find the perfect pumpkin.
Cook’s Tips
You can make this dish well in advance of serving. Cover and freeze the assembled cannelloni without baking. To cook from frozen, place in a preheated oven at 170C/150C fan/Gas 3 for about 45 minutes or until golden and heated through.
Ingredients
- 6 Fresh lasagne sheets, halved to make two long strips
- 1 Knob of butter, for greasing
- 1 Splash of olive oil, for drizzing
- 1.25 kg Pumpkin, peeled, deseeded - For the filling
- 1 Large red onion, cut into thin wedges - For the filling
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil - For the filling
- 2 Large knobs butter - For the filling
- 2 tsp Thyme leaves - For the filling
- 0.5 tsp Dried chilli flakes - For the filling
- 240 g Ricotta - For the filling
- 40 g Butter - For the cheese sauce
- 3 tbsp Plain flour - For the cheese sauce
- 750 ml Milk - For the cheese sauce
- 35 g Parmesan cheese, grated - For the cheese sauce
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 80 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- For the filling: preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the pumpkin into 3cm cubes and scatter on a large baking tray with the onion. Drizzle over the olive oil, add the butter and sprinkle with thyme, dried chilli, some sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown, giving an occasional stir.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. Place them in a large bowl and mash with a fork, retaining some texture.
- For the cheese sauce: while the pumpkin is baking, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until bubbling. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat, add two thirds of the parmesan and whisk until combined. Season to taste with salt.
- Lightly butter a baking dish or foil dish that will hold 12 cannelloni snugly in a single layer. Dip the lasagna sheets into cold water, to moisten slightly, then spoon a large tablespoons of the pumpkin filling into the centre of each sheet. Add a heaped teaspoon of ricotta and roll the sheets, starting from the narrow end of the pasta to make a fat tube. Spread a third of the cheese sauce into the prepared dish and place the cannelloni on top. Pour the remaining sauce over the top. Scatter with the rest of the grated parmesan cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Set the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4 and bake the cannelloni for 35-40 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.
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