Best Sausage Winter Greens Cannelloni Recipes

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Add the Italian sausage meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it until no longer pink, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the sausage meat, and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl stir together the drained and squeeze-dried spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, eggs, cooled Italian sausage and onion mixture, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh pasta rectangles for 1 minute and remove with a slotted spatula. Set aside. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups tomato sauce. Working with 1 pasta rectangle at a time, spread 6 tablespoons filling along one edge and roll the pasta sheet up tightly, leaving the ends open. Repeat until you have 8 cannelloni. Arrange the prepared cannelloni, seam-side down, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce evenly over the cannelloni. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over top. Bake the cannelloni for 20 minutes and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the cannelloni with extra tomato sauce from the baking dish and garnish with fresh basil.
• To make fresh pasta dough: Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides. Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape. With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour. Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out. Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface. If using a pasta machine: Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta. With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting. If rolling the pasta by hand: Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• To make Simple Tomato Sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the basil and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve. Cook's Note: Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPINACH CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Cook manicotti according to package directions; drain. Set aside. (Or don't and increase the sauce measurements. If increasing the sauce measurements you may want to use a roaster or a deeper pan.).
• To prepare tomato sauce: In Dutch oven (or large heavy saucepan) add olive oil and 1 cup onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until onions are soft (5-8 minutes). Add tomatoes, reserved juice, and all remaining sauce ingredients (tomato paste, basil, sugar, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce just comes to a boil (2-4 minutes). Cover; reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to prepare filling: in 10-inch skillet add sausage, 1/4 cup onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sausage is browned (10-12 minutes). Drain off fat. Add spinach. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until spinach is soft (2-3 minutes). Place sausage mixture in large bowl. Cool 10 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan, eggs, oregano, and 1/4 t pepper. Set aside.
• To prepare bechamel sauce: in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly (1 minute). Add milk, whipping cream, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (5-8 minutes).
• Heat oven to 375. Divide filling between manicotti tubes using a small spoon to fill each tube with about 2 T of filling (I use my clean hands--think stuffing a roll of coins). Place 1/4 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan (more if you don't boil the noodles and in a deeper pan). Place filled tubes on top of tomato sauce. Pour bechamel sauce over tubes. Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
• **This is a great OAMC recipe. Before cooking/prep day, I would prepare the tomato sauce and sausage/spinach filling mixture and chill (I would prepare the tomato sauce anyway to serve as a pasta sauce--I could literally drink the stuff!). Make the bechamel sauce the day of your big session. Fill the tubes and prep the pans. Cook 45 minutes (Covered!), wrap in foil and freeze. On "eating day," cook at 375 until tubes are al dente (they probably already will be) and bubbly and cheese is melted. I would keep it covered for most of the cooking time. This is a very very rich recipe, so I would serve with a salad of bitter greens tossed in a sharp vinaigrette. It says it serves 8, but, as I said, the sauces are so rich that I can't really eat more than one tube, so I would say it serves 14.

CANNELLINI BEAN AND SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a grill pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (plus juices), beans, kale and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the kale has wilted, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While the stew is cooking, place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Add the sausages and grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Remove the pan from the oven and add the cooked sausage slices. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spoon the stew into bowls and serve.

SAUSAGE & WINTER GREENS CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat and cook the onions for 8-10 mins until softened and starting to caramelise. Meanwhile, squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins.
• Push the onions to one side of the casserole, then add the sausagemeat to the other. Squash it into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon, stirring occasionally for 10-12 mins until cooked and starting to brown in places. Mix the onions back in, then add the garlic, thyme, chilli flakes and tomato purée. Cook for another 1-2 mins. Tip in the plum tomatoes, crushing them with the back of the spoon. Season and bubble for 15-20 mins until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has reduced to a thick ragu.
• Put the kettle on to boil. If using cavolo nero, remove and discard the tough stalks and roughly chop the leaves. For softer veg like spinach or chard, you can leave the stalks on. Put in a colander set over the sink and pour over a kettle of just-boiled water, then rinse the leaves under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Squeeze out as much water as you can, transfer to a board and finely chop. Stir the greens into the sausage ragu, cook for 1-2 mins until any excess liquid has evaporated (the mixture should be quite dry), remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
• Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over a medium heat. When sizzling, stir in the flour to make a sandy paste. Whisk in the milk, a splash at a time, until completely incorporated. When the sauce is smooth and the consistency of custard, season well, grate in a good amount of nutmeg and stir in half the parmesan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Drop the lasagne sheets into a large pan of boiling salted water one at a time to prevent them sticking together, then cook for 5-6 mins, stirring until soft enough to roll up but not fully cooked through. Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
• If the béchamel sauce has thickened as it's cooled down, stir in a splash more milk. Spoon a third of the sauce over the base of a baking dish roughly 25 x 35cm. Lift a sheet of lasagne out of the bowl of cold water and lay on a board with one of the short ends facing you. Spoon a generous tbsp of the sausage ragu over one end, then roll it up to enclose the filling, making a short cannelloni - there will be a little overlapping pasta. Place it in the baking dish, then continue with the remaining ragu and lasagne sheets, arranging them in the baking dish in two rows of six cannelloni. Spoon any remaining ragu over the top, then pour over the béchamel sauce to cover all the cannelloni rolls. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Will keep covered and chilled for up to two days or frozen for up to two months. Leave to cool completely first. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before cooking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then bake the cannelloni for 40 mins until bubbling at the edges and golden brown on top. Grind over some black pepper, if you like, and serve with a crisp green salad.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until sausage is browned and crumbly and onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pour beef stock into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add water and bouillon cubes.
• Add tomato sauce, cannellini beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, diced tomatoes with juice, carrots, tomato paste, soup mix, cabbage, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain.
• After soup has cooked for 40 minutes, add cooked shells. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

CREAMY SAUSAGE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion for 3-4 mins over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage chunks and cook for another 5 mins to brown all over. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min before stirring in the cream, mustard, chilli flakes and seasoning. Cook for another 2 mins, then stir in the basil.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Divide the sausage chunks and some sauce between the lasagne sheets and roll each one up. Arrange in a casserole dish, spoon over the remaining sauce, then top with the mozzarella. You can freeze the dish at this point. If freezing, defrost fully before cooking. Bake in the oven for 20 mins until the pasta is cooked and the mozzarella gooey and crisp at the edges.