Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo | Rotolo di Ricotta e Spinaci

Our pals at Rio Vista Olives sent us the incredible oil that we cook with in this post. Like everything that we recommend on our blog, we use and love their products, and hope that you will too!

The Story

This week we’re throwing back to the 80s! This spinach and ricotta rotolo was something that my Mum used to cook up for special occasions, back when béchamel was big. Or so I’m told. I was more a concept than a thing at the time, and I’m not sure that béchamel ever actually went out of fashion anyway, so take that as you will.

This is a more involved, multi-process recipe than those we normally serve up, but if you’ve got the time and are after a bit of a treat, this is one for you.

The Pasta

This rotolo’s got it all. You fill it, roll it, wrap it, boil it; slice it, sauce it, bake it, eat it. At its heart though is the old familiar sheet of pasta with filling, and a creamy tomato sauce.

Once you’ve kneaded your dough and it’s happily resting, cook up that filling. Much like our anolini, simply roll the dough out into two thin sheets, and then spread the filling to evenly cover each. While you’re doing that, bring a big pot of water to the boil (this will be what you boil the wrapped rotolo in).

spinach ricotta and prosciutto pasta filling spread on a sheet of pasta dough

Starting at one narrow edge, roll each filled sheet up tightly, then place them in clean, non-fibrous, tea towels. Wrap them up like giant lollies, and tie closed as you would a big chunk of meat. Drop them in and boil them up!

close up of spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta
spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta tied up in a teatowel

Once cooked, remove and allow to cool. While you wait, heat the oven, and prepare the light tomato sauce and the béchamel. Remember to go slow with the béchamel, stirring constantly to avoid clumps. If you do clump it up though, don’t stress, you can always hit it with a stick blender after mixing it into the tomato sauce.

tomato pasta sauce and bechamel sauce with spinach

With the final creamy combined sauce prepared, slice the rotolo and layer it up in a baking dish. Standing the slices up on a slight angle will help cover them in sauce and give each a little bit of crispy browning when cooked. Then just stick it in the oven and hang around impatiently until the sauce starts to crack and brown.

close up of spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta with tomato and bechamel sauce in a baking dish
close up of spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta with tomato and bechamel sauce

This is a rich old dish, with a fair bit of work required, so while it might not be an every week kind of thing it’ll certainly live up to expectations for something special.

Enjoy, and happy Sunday,

– Al & Al.

spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta with tomato and bechamel sauce in a baking dish with a wooden spoon

Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo

This creamy rotolo is something a little special. A rich tomato and béchamel sauce, with a cheesy spinach filling: sure to make you smile.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bechamel, Cheese, Pasta, pasta bake, Ricotta, rotolo, salami, Spinach, Sugo, Tomato
Servings: 4
Calories: 828kcal

Equipment

  • Pasta roller and cutter (if not using a rolling pin and knife)
  • Air tight container for resting
  • Frypan

Ingredients

Pasta Dough

  • 250 g 00 flour
  • 70 g durum semolina flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin (we use Rio Vista Olives' Nothin' But Robust)
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Pasta Filling

  • 500 g fresh spinach washed
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 6 large slices prosciutto finely chopped
  • 300 g fresh ricotta
  • 100 g Romano cheese grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste

Sugo

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil extra virgin (we use Rio Vista Olives' Nothin' But Robust)
  • 1 onion very finely diced
  • small handful basil leaves
  • 1 bottle passata approximately 700ml
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • salt to taste

Béchamel

  • 250 ml milk
  • 30 g parmesan
  • 25 g butter
  • 20 g plain flour
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Pasta

  • Mix the flours and salt together and form them into a well. Then add the eggs, 3 egg yolks, and 1/2 tsp olive oil into the centre and use a fork or your hand to bring it together into a ball.
  • Knead vigorously for 10 minutes, before transferring to an airtight container, and resting for 30 minutes away from heat or direct sunlight.

Filling

  • Wilt the spinach in a medium heat frypan with only the water left from washing it; remove and finely chop.
  • Sauté the onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat until pale, around 8 minutes, then add the prosciutto and cook on high for a further 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl to cool, before stirring in the spinach, ricotta, Romano, egg yolk, and nutmeg; season to taste.

Rotolo – Poaching

  • Bring a large stock pot of lightly salted water (2/3 full) to the boil and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cut the dough in half, and roll it out into long sheets of about 15mm width and 1.5mm thickness. If using a pasta machine, turn each piece through the thickest setting a few times, folding over itself in between passes, before stepping through to a setting of 6.
  • Spread the filling evenly over the pasta sheets, and then roll up by the short edges. Wrap each tightly in a tea towel or muslin cloth, tying with kitchen twine, and then poach for 20 minutes in the salted water. Remove and allow to cool.
    spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta tied up in a teatowel

Sugo

  • Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the onion into a cold frypan, on low-medium heat. Stir regularly, until the onion begins to sweat and turn translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
  • Bruise the basil lightly, and add to the pan. Cook for a further minute, before adding the passata, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, until thickened, and then remove from the heat.

Béchamel

  • Melt the butter on medium-high heat until it begins to foam, then stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking vigorously, and cook for a further 5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in 30g of parmesan. Salt to taste, and then stir into the sugo.
    tomato pasta sauce and bechamel sauce with spinach

Rotolo – Baking

  • Chop the cooled rotolo into slices of approximately 2cm thickness. Spoon a layer of sauce into the bottom of a baking dish, and then stand the rotolo slices up on an angle, dolloping the remaining sauce in between and on top. Bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce begins to crack and the pasta edges start to brown.
    close up of spinach and ricotta rotolo pasta with tomato and bechamel sauce in a baking dish

Nutrition

Calories: 828kcal | Carbohydrates: 94.1g | Protein: 38.2g | Fat: 34.8g | Saturated Fat: 13.4g | Cholesterol: 387mg | Sodium: 827mg | Potassium: 1090mg | Fiber: 8.8g | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 575mg | Iron: 7mg
Made this recipe? We’d love to see!Mention @pastaetal or tag #pastaetal!

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1 thought on “Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo | Rotolo di Ricotta e Spinaci”

  • There are lots of food bloggers like this but the best food blog “Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo” is yours. I will try to make it like you. Much thanks for giving me a smart thought.

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