We like to cook with seasonal ingredients, we want to create preparations that can release enveloping aromas and flavours. That is why, this time, we chose asparagus for our recipe and the result is a mouth-watering first course: Ricotta cannelloni with asparagus.

This recipe is perfect to be prepared in advance or to be frozen, and it will be ready to be cooked in the oven whenever you need it.

And if you like asparagus, try also Gola Gola asparagus risotto .

Ricotta Cannelloni with asparagus

19.36g carbohydrates per 100g

Ingredients for 12 cannelloni

• 500g asparagus (about 1 bunch)
• 400g ricotta cheese
• 350g cannelloni** (12 pieces branded Farabella)
• 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• 25g leek
• 1 egg
• 10g extra virgin olive oil
• extra virgin olive oil, salt and a few mint leaves

** Ingredients specific for celiacs

Preparation

1. Wash the asparagus and remove the whitish woody part. Separate the tips (also leaving a green part) from the spears. Sauté them in a non-stick pan with a little oil and a pinch of salt until slightly cooked, but still crispy. Boil a saucepan of lightly salted water and cook the asparagus spears (not the tips). When they are cooked, drain but keep the cooking water.
2. In a small pan, sweat the leek with a little oil and a bit of cooking water. When the leek is soft, put it in a blender with the asparagus spears and blend to a cream; add cooking water if necessary and adjust the salt.
   Put ricotta cheese in a bowl and mix it with the Parmesan cheese, egg and chopped asparagus tips.
   Boil a pot of salted water and cook Cannelloni: I cooked them for almost 9 minutes, then threw them in cold water and drained.
3. Fill a pastry bag with the ricotta and asparagus mixture and stuff the Cannelloni well.
   On individual plates, form a layer of asparagus sauce, lay the ready cannelloni on top and garnish with a spoonful of asparagus sauce. Place the dishes in the microwave or conventional oven to warm the Cannelloni and the filling, then season with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and two mint leaves.

Version of gluten of Ricotta Cannelloni with asparagus

Replace the gluten-free Cannelloni with standard Cannelloni.