As the stay at home orders during the Coronavirus pandemic continue and restaurants remain closed except for carryout/curbside pickup, I prepared another one of my son's favorite Italian dinners at home by request.
Covid-19 has turned up everybody's appetites and forced encouraged all of us to become better cooks!
Luckily, in my area there hasn't been a shortage of items to buy to make a decent Italian dinner. Pasta entrees are fairly easy to prepare and are enjoyed by everyone in my household.
Named this entree
"Cannelloni à la Nina"
These are all of the ingredients I use to make my cannelloni. I make my pasta dishes from memory and do not have exact measurements. Sorry!
If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer!
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cover the bottom of an oblong baking dish (I use my brown Pyrex glass lasagna dish) with approximately 1" of your choice of red sauce. Don't add too much it as you don't want the cannelloni to "float" in the sauce. At least half of the shells should be left uncovered.
My personal favorite is vodka sauce because it is low in sugar, low carbohydrate, high in potassium, low calories and it tastes incredible!
I add about 1 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (for healthy fats - HDL), Italian seasonings, rosemary, minced garlic, garlic salt, & ground pepper into the sauce and stir before placing the cannelloni on top.
Fortunately I live near the Italian community called "The Hill" in St. Louis, Missouri and am able to purchase many authentic frozen items including cannellini, manicotti, tortellini, toasted ravioli, etc from the local grocery stores to save time preparing gourmet meals almost as tasty as those served at the amazing restaurants.
You get 12 frozen cannelloni in this package separated into two trays with six on each tray. I defrost one tray overnight in the refrigerator. Each of us eats two and we have a couple left the next day.
Arrange the cannelloni on the dish without them touching.
Can you tell I'm a bit OCD?!
Top the cannelloni with alfredo sauce, Italian seasonings, a little rosemary, and any other cheese you want.
Do not add Parmesan cheese yet or it could get burnt. Cover with aluminum foil and set the timer for 40 minutes.
Have a glass of wine while you wait!🍷
After 40 minutes, I take off the foil and put it back in the oven on low broil for about 5-10 more. Check to see when the topping is lightly brown and crusted.
The baked cannelloni should look like this when they are done.
I almost forgot the fresh spinach and arugula salad with grape tomatoes and cucumbers topped with balsamic vinegar dressing. The garlic & sea salt croutons make the salad!
Don't forget to make some bread to serve with the pasta! These are fluffy crescent rolls.
Mangia Bene!
I hope everyone continues to stay healthy while practicing social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic. Good news is these safety measures are helping to flatten the curve!
Please stay strong in spirit and have faith that in time things are going to return to a new state of normalcy!
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