Cannelloni with Ragu

This recipe is from a "Kids Cook Italian" class I took back in 1996. Time flies, and 13 years later it turns out adults can cook Italian too, and this recipe is still really tasty, and only takes about 1/2 an hour to prepare. It comes with a recipe for ragu, but you can use any sauce you have on hand, I used some bolognese that I made earlier in the week.

CANNELONI A LA RAGU

For the Ragu:

Chopped celery, onion, 5-6 cloves garlic and carrot

.5 lb. ground beef

.5 lb. ground pork

1 can tomatoes

.5 cup milk

.5 cup tomato puree

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

salt & pepper to taste

Saute vegetables and garlic in olive oil. Add meat and cook until no longer pink, add milk, tomato puree, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook 20 min. or until liquid has reduced considerably.

For the Cannelloni (8-10 servings):

1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed & drained

15 basil leaves, chopped

1 lb. fresh ricotta

6 oz. shredded mozzarella
salt & pepper

2 eggs

.5 cup grated parmesan

1 lb. fresh pasta sheets (cut into 20, 5x6 pieces)

Ragu (above)

Combine drained spinach, basil, ricotta, mozzarella, salt & pepper and eggs; mix well. Add .25 cup parmesan, reserve the rest for topping. Mix well, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and set aside greased, 9x13 pan. Fill cut pasta sheets by putting filling in the center lengthwise and rolling loosely like a fat cigar. Arrange in a single layer in the dish...not too crowded. Spoon sauce over top and cover with remaining parmesan and additional mozzarella if desired. Bake 20 minutes, or until cheeses are melted.