Vegetable Cannelloni with Spinach Tomato Sauce

Here's another homemade pasta recipe for you.  I know I can't help myself, the difference between store bought pasta and homemade pasta is like the difference between a winter grocery store tomato and a summer homegrown one. But I tell you what, this recipe is good even with store bough pasta, so if you can't deal with the thought of rolling your own, you can still give this recipe a try.

This recipe came up after my veggie ravioli recipe, mainly because I had leftover filling (I have halved the recipe here for you, so no need to worry about excess filling.) Such good veggies should not go to waste.  The sauce for this dish is quick and if the spinach part is too much for you (or you don't have any in the house) it's great without it also.  Make it work for you.

Vegetable Cannelloni with Spinach Tomato Sauce

Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
4-5 handfuls spinach leaves
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup red wine

28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher slat
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 sugar

Filling:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 portabello mushrooms, diced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2-3 handfuls spinach, chopped fine
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten

Pasta:
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups semolina flour
3 eggs
1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
olive oil
water

1/4 cup parmesan, grated ( for topping)

Filling:
Start with the filling, rub a little olive oil on the outside of the pepper and roast it in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Chop fine.

In a saute pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat and cook onion until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 4-5 minutes, add the bell pepper, zucchini, garlic and spinach and cook 4-5 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in the Parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper, ricotta and egg. Refrigerate until needed.

Pasta Sheets:
To make the pasta, put the two types of flour and the salt in the bowl of a food processor with the chopping blade. Mix, adding one egg at a time until both eggs are incorporated.  Add about 1/2 teaspoon of each of olive oil and water, continuing to mix until a dough ball forms, adding a bit more olive oil and water as necessary, the ball should be pliable but not wet. If the dough is too wet add a little flour.

Divide the ball into 2 smaller balls and cover with a damp paper towel to keep dough from drying out.  Working with one ball at a time and using a pasta roller such as the Atlas Marcato set on "0", send the dough through the machine a dozen or so times until the dough has a silky texture  Store the sheet on a piece of parchment paper while you work on the other balls.  Once you have turned the two balls into two thick sheets of pasta, let the sheets rest about 10 minutes, covered with parchment paper.

After the past has rested, cut each sheet in half and working one piece at a time send them through the pasta roller set at "2" and then "5". Once the sheet is rolled through a "5" cut it into three sections lengthwise and hang each piece on the drying rack.  Do this all the sheets, you will have 12 pieces on the drying rack.  Let dry for 20-30 minutes.

Sauce:
In a food processor with chopper blade, pulse the spinach until finely minced. In a saute pan over medium high heat, saute the onion in oil until soft.  Add the spinach and garlic and saute 2-3 minutes.  Add the red wine and cook 1 minute then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar.  Simmer on low for about 15 minutes.

Assemble:
Cook the pieces in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and and refill the pan with cool water to help keep the pieces separate.  Work one piece at a time put 2-3 tablespoons of filling on the sheet and roll it up, set in a pan prepared with a bit of sauce in the bottom.  Repeat with the remain 11 pieces   Cover with the rest of the spinach sauce and bake covered at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.  Remove the cover and top with parmesan cheese and bake 2-3 minutes more or until the cheese melts. Let set for 15 minutes before serving.