Recipe: Palak Paneer Cannelloni

A delicious fusion of Italian comfort food and Indian flavours. Tender pasta tubes filled with creamy palak paneer, topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese. A festive twist on two favourites.

Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 35 mins | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 cannelloni pasta tubes
• 200 g paneer, crumbled
• 200 g spinach (palak), washed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1 cup ready-made pasta sauce or tomato basil sauce
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp butter or oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Get the ingredients here

Method

1. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1–2 minutes. Transfer to cold water, drain and blend into a smooth puree.
2. Heat butter or oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and onion. Sauté until soft.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook briefly. Stir in the spinach puree, garam masala, salt and pepper.
4. Add crumbled paneer and cream. Mix well and cook for 2–3 minutes. Cool slightly.
5. Fill the cannelloni tubes with the palak paneer mixture.
6. Spread some pasta sauce in a baking dish. Arrange the filled tubes and cover completely with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella on top.
7. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and cheese is golden. Follow the pasta pack’s instructions if they differ.

Quick tip: If using oven-ready cannelloni, ensure the pasta is fully covered with sauce. For regular dried cannelloni, check whether pre-boiling is required.