Canelloni

This is a great make ahead meal. Served with a salad and Marg's Rustic Italian bread or with Foccacia bread you have a lovely Italian meal nice enough to serve to company.
At a later date I'll post another version using seafood. But this is more like the traditional Italian Canelloni

• 1 package fresh lasagne sheets*
• spaghetti sauce, homemade or from a jar
• 1 500 ml carton ricotta cheese
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 recipe Bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce:

• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste

* I bought my fresh lasagne sheets at our local Price Smart store in the deli section. They come in a package of 8 sheets and are found with the other fresh pastas.

1. Cut each lasagne sheet into two pieces.
2. Bring salted water to boil in a large pot and cook lasagne sheets until just tender. This will only take a few minutes.
3. Drain pasta and rinse well. Lay each piece out on the counter.
4. Squeeze excess moisture from the spinach and mix together with the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and the egg. ( I actually forgot to add the egg and the filling still held together very well).
5. Using about 2 Tbsp. for each piece of pasta, form filling into a log and place on the narrow end of the pasta sheet.
6. Roll up each forming a filled tube.
7. Make Bechamel sauce. I usually do this in the microwave, but you can also do it on the stove. Melt butter, add flour and gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly or microwave stirring after each minute of cooking. Cook until mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Put a large spoonful each of Bechamel and Spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish.
9. Place filled pasta tubes in 2 rows in dish.
10. Cover with remaining spaghetti sauce.
11. Top with remaining Bechamel sauce.
12. Grate fresh parmesan cheese on top.
13. Cover with foil. This can be refrigerated or frozen at this point.
14. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
15. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.