Ingredients

The following ingredients have 2 Servings
  • 6 Cannelloni pasta
  • 150 ml bechamel sauce ()
  • 400 g Italian tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoon Italian-style hard cheese (grated ( or Parmigiano Reggiano))
  • a bunch of fresh basil leaves (to decorate)
  • 3 medium-large long eggplants / aubergines
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove (optional)

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 180C/360F/160 fan.
  • Cube the eggplant, or cut the veggie horizontally in two and lightly score each half. Arrange your eggplants over a non-stick baking tray, add garlic, season with a generous glug of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.
  • Bake in the oven for 20 min or until soft and cooked through. Then simply pop them in a powerful food processor and blend until creamy.
  • Fold the cannelloni in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cook for about 1-2 min, they should be still very hard. Drain and pat dry on a kitchen cloth.
  • Fill a piping bag with the roasted eggplant sauce.
  • Hold each cannelloni up on your palm to avoid the filling to escape and fill with the prepared mixture.
  • Brush the base of a baking dish with a little extra virgin olive oil and tomato sauce.
  • Arrange the filled cannelloni on top and pour the remaining tomato sauce over them.
  • Top with bechamel or my quick ricotta sauce and some grated parmesan cheese.
  • Bake in the oven for 15-20 min, until the pasta is cooked through and the edges are slightly crispy. Scatter basil leaves over the top and serve immediately.