A traditional Italian dish, rotolo is well respected in Italy but barely known to the rest of the world. Everybody knows about lasagna and cannelloni, but rotolo is the unsung hero. Rotolo consists of several rolls filled with a rich filling then stacked in a single layer in a baking dish then covered with a marinara tomato sauce. In fact, this spinach and ricotta rotolo is similar to cannelloni, but with a slightly different way of layering it. The proper Italian rotolo is made with a giant fresh pasta sheet. Then the filling is spread across the sheet before it’s rolled up, wrapped in a towel and slowly simmered. Most modern recipes take the easier approach and leave the traditional way to the mamas.

What does the word "rotolo" mean?

“ Rotolo ” is an Italian word that translates as roll or coil in English.

Vegan Spinach And Ricotta Rotolo

Description

Have you ever heard of rotolo? It's a pasta dish, similar to lasagna and cannelloni. What makes this Italian recipe different is that it's vegan and gluten free!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Butternut Squash Rotolo

2 butternut squashes

Spinach & Cashew Ricotta Filling

400g (2 1/2 cups) cashew nuts, soaked in water overnight
250ml (1 cup) water
30ml (2 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
33g (3 tbsp) nutritional yeast
2g (1 tsp) onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste
450g (3 cups) frozen spinach, thawed

Marinara Sauce

15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
400g (1 can) whole, peeled tomatoes
15ml (1 tbsp) tomato puree
1g (1/2 tsp) dried oregano
1g (1/2 tsp) dried basil
1g (1/2 tsp) red chilli powder [optional]
4g (1 tsp) sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cheese Topping

115g (1 cup) vegan cheddar cheese, grated

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Instructions

[Only the top, thick stem part of the butternut can be used in this recipe, so reserve the bottom half with the pips for something like a soup, risotto, burgers or dauphinoise.]
For the Butternut Squash Rotolo: Cut the butternut bulb end off the butternut and use in another recipe.
Cut the top’s stem off, then peel, which would leave you with a cylindrical shape.
Cut the shape into 7.5cm (3in) wide cylinders, which should be around the halfway mark.
Using Zyliss’ SpiraSlice, pierce the butternut cylinder with the metal prong and attach to the machine.
Using the sheet attachment, turn the handle and proceed to cut the butternut into sheets.
Slice the sheets into 10cm (4in) rectangles. Set aside in water in the fridge.
For the Spinach and Cashew Ricotta Filling: Place the drained, soaked cashew in the food processor, along with water, vinegar, yeast and onion powder.
Blitz until smooth and season to taste.
Squeeze as much liquid as you possibly can out of the spinach. Then tip it into the food processor and blitz until desired consistency.
Place in the fridge while you’re preparing the other element of the recipe.
For the Marinara Sauce: Gently fry the onion in the oil until translucent, which will take about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Tip in the tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, basil and chilli powder and give it a good stir.
Leave to simmer until oil droplets form on top of the sauce, which would take about 25 minutes. If necessary, add a splash of water if the sauce dries out too much.
Season to taste, then tip everything into a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
To assemble to Rotolo: Preheat the oven to 180°C / fan 160°C / 355°F / gas mark 4.
Grease a 22x15cm (9x6in) casserole dish with olive oil.
Fill a large pot with salted, boiling water on the stove.
Keeping the water at a rolling simmer, add the butternut sheets and blanch for 15 seconds each.
Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice cold water.
Once cooled, wrap each sheet around your finger and stack upright in the casserole in a single layer. Repeat until the casserole dish is filled.
Transfer the spinach and ricotta filling into a piping bag and pipe the filling into the butternut stacks.
Cover with marinara sauce and sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately with your choice of vegetables. Enjoy!

Notes

Alternatively, if you didn’t soak the cashew nuts in water overnight, you can use a shortcut by pouring boiling water over them and soaking the nuts for 10 minutes. Drain and proceed with the recipe.
You’re welcome to use fresh spinach instead of its frozen counterpart.
Feel free to play with the cashew and spinach ratios for the filling.
If you find that you have some butternut squash leftover from making the rotolo, don't worry! You can always freeze it. Check out my guide on how to freeze butternut squash for more info.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Bake
Cuisine: Italian