RECIPE - Spinach and Red Pepper Cannelloni

I tried this recipe for the first time on Thursday evening. It's syn free, and honestly one of the best things I've eaten in ages. In fact, I had meant to save the leftovers for the next day's lunch, but they all got polished off later in the evening when I felt a bit hungry! I always find cannelloni a pain to make, but this recipe has really made it worth the effort, and is definitely going to become a regular meal for us. It's also vegetarian - but don't let that put you off! I'm a big meat fan, but really didn't miss it at all in this recipe.

Ingredients
(serves 4)
250g spinach (fresh or frozen, but if using frozen, defrost first and squeeze out excess water)
20 cannelloni tubes
2 red peppers
1 onion
4 radishes
1 300g tub low fat cottage cheese
1 large egg yolk
1 carton of tomato passata
2 garlic cloves, crushed
handful of fresh basil leaves
fresh cherry tomatoes (optional)
100g grated cheddar cheese (optional - 1HEXA per person)

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and red pepper. Grate the radishes.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the spinach, red pepper, onion, garlic, egg yolk, cottage cheese, radishes and season well.
3. Fill the cannelloni tubes with this mixture, using a piping bag, teaspoon or your hands depending on your preference! Try and really pack the mixture tightly into the tubes.
4. Add the filled cannelloni tubes in a single layer to a baking dish sprayed with frylight, and top with the carton of passata, ensuring that all the pasta is covered
5. Add the fresh basil leaves on top. If using, also add the cheese, and the halfed cherry tomatoes.
6. Bake in the oven at 200C for around 45 minutes. Cover the mixture for the first 30 minutes with foil, and remove for the last 15 minutes to allow the cheese to brown slightly