The season shift to fall has begun, and with the cooler nights comes an abundance of our favorite greens. Instead of sauteeing it, this felt like a delightful way to enjoy spinach. It’s creamy, rich and savory and perfect for a cool evening.
The recipe inspiration for this comes from The Happy Pear, an Irish company that often showcases incredible vegan recipes. The twins who own the business are an absolute delight, and I highly recommend checking out their website, where they often provide cooking demo videos to complement the recipes they share. You can find The Happy Pear recipe link here.
Below is the recipe, with the few modifications I made.
INGREDIENTS
SPINACH PESTO
3 cloves peeled garlic
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup fresh spinach
½ juice of lime
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/3 cup water
BECHAMEL
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp white flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 1/4 cup soy milk
TOMATO SAUCE
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 ½ tbsp oil
2 cans of chopped tomatoes (I used two fresh tomatoes and and had to add 1 can of tomato paste at the end)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp maple syrup
REMAINING
2 cups cannelloni tubes (I used manicotti because it was all that was available and wish I’d sought out cannelloni)
1/4 cup Vegan cheese to top
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350F
SPINACH PESTO
First step is to make your spinach pesto
Add the peeled garlic cloves, cashew nuts, spinach, lime, salt, sunflower oil and water to a blender and blend together
BECHAMEL
For the bechamel, start by making the make the roux, add the oil to a pan on a high heat along with flour, a salt and a pinch of pepper and cook for 1 minute
Once the roux starts to clump together add in the soy milk
Bring to the boil, stirring all the while and then knock off the heat
Combine with the spinach pesto and set aside
TOMATO SAUCE
Time to make your tomato sauce
Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil to a pan on a high heat. Add to the pan 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, reduce heat to medium.
Fry for about a minute until the garlic starts to golden and then add the two tins of chopped tomatoes and mix through
Season with 1 tsp salt, a pinch of black pepper and 1 tbsp maple syrup and bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer knock off the heat
Use a piping bag to squeeze the spinach béchamel sauce into the cannelloni tubes, keeping the tubes standing up straight they will be easier to fill.
Lay the filled tubes on their sides and submerge with the tomato sauce
Top it off with a covering of vegan cheese and cook in oven for 25 minutes
