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.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post entry for What'do you do this weekend and with Healthy Happy and green party, and with Tasty Tuesday and Meatless Monday and with Welcome home Wednesday 36 and with Cook blog share, and with Way wow link party and Hearth and soul link party, and with Full plate Thursday and with My two fav things, and with yum yum party, and with Sweet inspiration party, and with Real food Friday and with Fiesta Friday, and with Sunday food and fitness party, and with Food year link-up.