Looking for a lovely vegetarian fix for when you crave pasta for dinner? We have a great Kale and Feta Cannelloni recipe, that is made using lasagne sheets. The flavours of the cavolo nero & feta filling are further enhanced with fresh basil, and the pasta is then drowned in homemade white sauce and topped with sharp mature Cheddar! What's not to like?
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Cannelloni Is The Ultimate Comfort Food
Pasta bakes scream 'comfort food' and are perfect enjoyed when you need to warm up both the body and the soul. The other day, the weather was so miserable (that's October in North Wales for you!) that it affected both my mood and motivation to do anything at all! I skipped my daily exercise, and instead, watched a psychological thriller (guilty pleasure!) curled up on a sofa with a pot of camomile tea!
Do you find that the weather affects what you want to eat? It's certainly the case in our house. We hardly ever eat pasta in spring and summer but come September, we start making more and more of it. Our Vegetarian Cannelloni dish is a transitional, the 'in-between-seasons' one.
Kale, for me, is the end-of-summer ingredient (probably because we grow & harvest kale in our own garden from July). But paired with pasta and baked with lots of white sauce, it is warming and comforting, perfect for an autumn evening.
Looking for more kale recipes? Try our Kale Salad With Apples and Walnuts and Roasted Sweet Potatoes And Kale With Tahini Dressing next!
Make Cannelloni With Lasagna Sheets
Whilst you can buy dried (or fresh) cannelloni in most supermarkets, we had some lasagne sheets to use up, so we made our own rolls with the parboiled sheets. Simply cook them gently, lay them out on an oiled surface and roll the filling inside, creating small tubes!
All in all, this is a great, filling vegetarian pasta bake, that we keep coming back to every autumn. It's almost like a Greek Spanakopita in pasta form!
How to Make Kale Cannelloni Using Lasagne Sheets?
Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.
Boil a large pot of water. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the lasagne sheets one at a time. Lower them down slowly and wiggle them in the pot so they don't stick to each other. Cook them for 6-7 min until softened but not fully cooked. Once partially cooked, place the lasagne sheets on a large lightly greased baking sheet or kitchen surface.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Finally, add the finely shredded kale and cook stirring for 7-8 minutes. Take the kale off of the heat, mix in the basil and crumble in the feta cheese.
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Then add the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes until you have a thick paste. Slowly pour the milk in stirring continuously, to prevent lumps from forming. Carry on cooking until you have a thick, smooth sauce (about 4-5 minutes). Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Lightly oil an ovenproof dish.
Spoon the kale mixture onto lasagne sheets and roll them up like cigars to form cannelloni. Lay the cannelloni in the dish, pour the white sauce over and top with the grated cheddar. Place the dish in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.
In the meantime, place the cherry tomatoes on a small baking tray. Drizzle them with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt. Roast for about 15 minutes, until their skins are beginning to burst.
When the cannelloni is cooked, leave it to cool for 3-4 minutes (it will make it easier to lift out onto places). Serve the kale & feta cannelloni with roasted tomatoes!
Other Delicious Meatless Pasta Recipes
We love pasta here at Somebody Feed Seb. If you're looking for more ideas, have a look at our recipes below:
- Smoked Salmon & Spinach Pasta
- Green Lasagna (With Spinach and Asparagus)
- Beetroot & Goats' Cheese Girasoli
- Easy Pesto Pasta
Recipe Card
Vegetarian Cannelloni With Kale and Feta
Ingredients
- 8 lasagna sheets
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 200 g kale (we used Cavolo Nero) stalks removed, shredded
- 100 g feta crumbled
- 20 g basil roughly chopped
- 30 g butter
- 30 g plain flour
- 400 ml milk
- 50 g mature cheddar grated
- 150 g cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.
- Boil a large pot of water. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add the lasagne sheets one at a time. Lower them down slowly and wiggle them in the pot so they don't stick to each other. Cook them for 6-7 min until softened but not fully cooked. Once cooked, they the lasagne sheets on a large lightly greased baking sheet or kitchen surface.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Finally, add the kale and cook stirring for 7-8 minutes. Take the kale off of the heat, mix in the basil and crumble in the feta cheese.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter. Then add the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes until you have a thick paste. Slowly pour the milk in stirring continuously, to prevent lumps from forming. Carry on cooking until you have thick, smooth sauce (about 4-5 minutes). Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly oil an ovenproof dish.
- Spoon the kale mixture onto lasagne sheets and roll them up like cigars to form cannelloni. Lay the cannelloni in the dish, pour the white sauce over and top with the grated cheddar. Place the dish in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.
- In the meantime, place the cherry tomatoes on a small baking tray. Drizzle them with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt. Roast for about 15 minutes, until their skins are beginning to burst.
- When cannelloni is cooked, leave it to cool for 3-4 minutes (it will make it easier to lift out onto places). Serve the vegetarian cannelloni with roasted tomatoes!
Nutrition
Charla says
Oh wow! All that cheesy goodness. I'm definitely going to try this recipe but make a few adjustments to make it dairy and gluten free.
Ieva says
Thanks, Charla! I am sure there are some wonderful dairy-free replacements for feta and milk out there! We love Violife Greek White block, but haven't yet tested this recipe with it! Let us know if you find some good substitutes!
Ava M. says
Look at those cheesy cannelloni! I am drooling over here haha and what an interesting filling, we're so used to the typical ricotta and spinach that this recipe is for sure something to try.
Ieva says
Oh these are beautiful with spinach too, but kale adds a bit more texture for sure! 🙂
Tavo says
This was our perfect dinner last night! We didn't have kale, so we used spinach and it worked! Thanks for the recipe!
Ieva says
Absolutely! Spinach works beautifully in cannelloni! 👍
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Kale and feta and a delicious combination and this whole dish is so perfectly balanced with colour and texture. We loved this recipe and will be making it regularly now.
Ieva says
Thank you so much, Amanda! It's the best compliment when readers make our recipes repeatedly! 🙂