Spinach & Chickpea Cannelloni

Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Serves 4-6

I’m not a huge pasta person (I know, sue me) but sometimes I’m just fully down with it. This weekend I thought I’d have a crack at some cannelloni because apparently just pasta with sauce isn’t good enough for me. This can get a little messy but if you take your time and do it carefully, you’ll end up with delicious creamy tubes of goodness.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 227g tub of vegan cream cheese
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 tablespoons corn flour
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 21 instant cannelloni tubes
• 3/4 cup vegan cheese

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. In a saucepan, heat the oil before adding the garlic and onion for the sauce.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, brown sugar and herbs, bringing to the boil while stirring.
4. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. While the sauce is simmering, throw the spinach, garlic, spring onion, vegan cream cheese, chickpeas, cornflour, non-dairy milk, salt and pepper into a blender, blending until well mixed but not completely smooth.
6. Pour half of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and smooth out evenly.
7. Using a piping bag, carefully pipe the spinach filling into the cannelloni tubes, laying neatly on top of the sauce in the baking dish.
8. Once complete, pour over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the vegan cheese.
9. Bake for 35 minutes or until the pasta is completely cooked and the cheese melted.
10. Serve immediately.