Salmon Spinach & Cannelloni

Salmon and spinach cannelloni is the dish for a dinner party where you want to impress without flailing in the kitchen. Pasta tubes get packed with a ricotta filling fortified with poached salmon and well-drained spinach, then baked under a glossy tomato-cream sauce and a snowdrift of Parmesan.

The sauce is the star. Heavy cream, butter, and tomato paste simmer together until the cream reduces by a third, which is the moment it goes from thin and pink to a silky coral that clings to the pasta instead of pooling under it. Don’t shortcut the reduction. Pulling it early gives you a watery bake and a soggy bottom layer.

Drain that thawed spinach hard. Squeeze it in a clean towel until almost no liquid comes out. Wet spinach loosens the ricotta and the filling will weep into the sauce.

Chef Tips

• Use leftover poached or roasted salmon. Even canned wild salmon works in a pinch if you flake and pick out bones.
• Pipe the filling with a zip-top bag, corner snipped off, for clean cannelloni without ripping the tubes.
• A pinch of nutmeg in the ricotta brings out the spinach beautifully and is a classic Italian move.
• Cover with foil for the first 15 minutes if your Parmesan is browning faster than the pasta is heating through.
• Pair with a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio or a dry rose to cut through the cream.

Variations

• Swap salmon for smoked salmon trimmings and skip the salt, the smoke does the heavy work.
• Stir a tablespoon of pesto into the ricotta for a herb-forward twist.
• Use crepes instead of pasta tubes for a more delicate French-style cannelloni.