Tuesday 19 April 2016

CANNELLONI SHELL PASTA WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

CANNELLONI SHELL PASTA WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA


A few months back, I got a request from my third-grade grandson's teacher to come and talk about spices in India. His class was doing a research project on India and Ukraine, where they discussed many issues on these countries and their culture, clothes, food, history etc. I was very pleased to be a part of this research and agreed a date and time, to visit her class.




I was happy because I am a retired teacher and once a teacher, is always a teacher. I prepared a simple 30-minute lecture on spices, on their types, history, uses in Indian cuisine and other health benefits of spices. Considering their age and class, I prepared a spice box, in which I kept around 15 different spices, to show them what they all look like.



I prepared two food items, one was a sweet and the other one was a savory snack. In the sweet item, I prepared strawberry pinwheel in which I used nutmeg to give nice smell and taste. In the savory snack, I made bread fritters with cumin and carom as a spice to give taste and flavour. Both these items, I have already shared on my blog. You can check here-.Bread Fitter recipe and Strawberry pinwheel recipe.



My daughter did a presentation on clothes and culture in front of the class. She also explained how to tie a tradition dress for women (Saree) and made small henna tattoos on the kids’ hands.



It was a successful session with the third graders, and at that time, I could easily see an elegant smile and gratified feeling on my grandson's face. I also felt delighted as I did something good for my grandson's class and added to their knowledge.



Coming to the recipe, this recipe is a kid friendly recipe in my house, my grandchildren would love to eat it anytime. In this recipe, I can easily add some vegetables which they don't mind. Otherwise, they do not enjoy vegetables. They actually complain when they see vegetables and are supposed to chew them. They make so many stories and try to avoid them. So I have to try and make the dish in such a way that even when vegetables are there, but hidden in their favorite recipe like this one.






RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
  •  300 grams cannelloni shell pasta
  •  300 grams ricotta cheese
  •  200 grams spinach
  •  200 grams green pepper (one big)
  •  100 grams onion (one small)
  •  6-7 tomatoes for puree
  •  100 grams grated mozzarella cheese
  •  3 tbs oil
  •  salt and black pepper to taste


METHOD

  • Boil pasta in plenty of water till it is soft. Rinse the water and wash with cold water, put it aside.
  • Make a puree with the tomatoes- slice, blend in a blender and boil in the pot with some salt.
  • Wash and chop spinach. Chop onion and green pepper in diced shape.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and green pepper and saute for five minutes then add spinach and mix well. Leave it to cook and let the water evaporate from the spinach, add salt and pepper.
  • Add ricotta cheese to it and mix well. Fill this mixture in every single shell, and line them on a baking tray.
  • Add tomato puree on top of the shell pasta.
  • Spread grated cheese on top.
  • Put it in a preheated oven on 180 degrees C for 15 to 20 minutes till the cheese is melted and light brown on the top.
  • Serve hot with some green salad.



58 comments:

  1. I love stuffed shells and any pasta really! Thanks for linking up

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  2. I used to make stuffed shells a lot years ago. Maybe I'll make some soon, I'm sure my daughter Taylor will love these.

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    1. Thanks Caleste, yes you can try, I am sure you will enjoy.

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  3. very nicely written post and a lovely pasta recipe

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  4. Delicious pasta and I loved reading about your visit to your grandson's class..

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  5. This looks delicious! I love pasta and I'm sure the hubby would love this recipe.

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  6. Oh wow, I just like this....cheese and pasta is my fav combo and this is just so perfect and delicious....

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    1. Thanks Very much Jeena for your lovely comment dear.

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  7. I loved stuffed pasta! Thanks for sharing on Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesdays.

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  8. Loved the stuffed pasta..and also the story to your grandson's class!!

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  9. I'm sure the kids absolutely loved trying your delicious foods Sadhna! Also, the Henna tattoos look so nice! That must have been a lovely morning in school! Thank you so much for sharing at Sweet Inspiration #3! Have a great weekend!

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    1. Hi Katrin, that was real fun that morning and kids really loved the food. Thanks for your comment dear.

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  10. Sadhna, not used to seeing Italian recipes from you, but these sure look good. My husband loves stuffed shells, so this may just make its way to my table soon.
    Thanks for the sweet story about your grandson! I love hearing about your family.
    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs, Lynn

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    1. Aw, such a lovely comment dear. I do cook other cuisines as well not only Indian. Thanks for your comment.

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  11. This sounds so delicious, I can't wait to make it. I don't know what it is about vegetables and children not like them. Yes, we have to sometimes be sneaky to get them to eat it.

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    1. Hi Carol, thanks for your comment dear, yes we try all trick to feed vegetables to kids.

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  12. Thanks for sharing all of your sweet stories about your grandchildren. I can certainly tell you were a teacher (so was I) by your preparations. No wonder your grandson was pleased! Great recipe - I never tried to sneak in any veggies - I wonder what it is with kids and their vegetables. Thanks for coming to Fiesta Friday.

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    1. Hi Judy, glad to know, you are also a teacher.The problem with kids is that they they do not want to eat any vegetables. Thanks for your comment dear.

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  13. Hi Sadhna,
    This looks so delicious! What a great meal this would make. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays! Pinned & tweeted!

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  14. This looks so good! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend?!

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  15. I love spinach and ricotta, it is such a perfect pasta combination. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

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  16. Pasta is one of my favorites and it goes great with spinach! my family would love this recipe! I will let you know how it turns out - Thanks for sharing on #YumTum and well done on being featured this week!

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    1. Hi Charlotte, thanks for your lovely comment dear, you can try, I am very sure you will enjoy it.

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  17. You can't miss with these yummy ingredients. I am so delighted that you shared your healthy and delicious cannelloni shell pasta recipe at the Healthy Happy Green and Natural Party Blog Hop. I'm pinning and sharing. This recipe is on my must-make list!

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    1. Thanks Deborah for your lovely comment dear and for pinning and sharing.

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  18. That is delicious shell pasta I love to have a dinner like that, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning and tweeting.

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    1. Thanks Swathi for your comment and for pinning and tweeting it.

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  19. I was so happy reading the line on teaching (my parents were teachers, now retired; my sister too was).

    Anyway, you are so good at what you make...I really appreciate you putting your heart into it.

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    1. Glad to know that your parents were teachers and even your sister. Thanks very much for your comment Alok.

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  20. oh how I wish we could eat these. Such a yummy recipe.

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  21. Sounds like an awesome learning and tasting experience.

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    1. Yes, it was really nice experience Brianna. Thanks for your visit and the comment.

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  22. I know your grandson was THRILLED to have you in his class and it sounds like you and your daughter did a fabulous presentation. Delicious looking recipe!

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    1. Hi Cathy, thanks dear for your lovely comment. Yes it was a very nice experience.

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  23. This dish reminds me of something similar I had at my aunt's house many years ago. It was so good I have remembered it through the years. I'm sure yours is delicious!

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  24. Italian food is my FAVORITE. This might be my favorite dish of yours yet!

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  25. Wow! What a fun day for you. It looks like you and your daughter were a huge hit! And it's awesome that your grandson got to have the coolest family give a presentation. I love the food that you made, and the henna tattoos are fabulous. You two make a great team.

    I really love stuffed shells, and this is a great way to add a lot of flavor to the creamy cheesy filling. I am definitely pinning this post so I can come back to this recipe again and again. Thanks so much for sharing it.

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    1. Awww, so nice of you and such a lovely comment dear. Yes we really had good time there and even the kids have enjoyed it. Thanks Nikki.

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  26. What a very generous thing you have done Sadhna. Being a teacher you know that the best way to teach is by showing them and not lecturing so that was a wonderful way to teach them about spices. Too bad you cannot come to Greece to teach here, all they do is have their noses in books that mean nothing to them. The recipe is also very good and since I am such a pasta lover I am going to pin and share. Thank you for joining us at Sweet Inspiration.

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    1. Awww, so nice of you dear, thanks very much for such a lovely comment Mary. I have really enjoyed that season with small kids.

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