Romantic Italian dinner: Easy ricotta and spinach rotolo recipe

Italian cuisine cannot do without various types of pasta. Pasta dough serves as the base for this recipe. Inside the pasta rolls, a delicious and simple filling of ricotta and spinach hides. This dish is perfect for a romantic dinner for two when you want to impress your significant other with an exceptional dish.

Rotolo is a close cousin to the much more popular lasagne. However, it is worth paying attention to because the presentation is beautiful. Pasta roses combine a passion for cooking with creativity. Everyone will be delighted if you serve them to your significant other, your family, or even your mother-in-law.

Each pasta roll is unique, filled with delicate ricotta and juicy spinach. This combination of flavours and aromas immediately transports you to culinary heaven or simply to an Italian trattoria.

Hand-formed pasta roses filled with a delicate spinach and ricotta filling are a true feast for the eyes and palate. Don't worry though, the recipe is not complicated. Even a novice, who until now only ordered Italian pasta for delivery or cooked it from a package, will manage.

Ingredients:

Pasta: 

• 375 grams of all-purpose flour,
• 4 eggs, 
• 50 millilitres of water. 

Filling: 

• 200 grams of spinach, 
• 200 grams of ricotta, 
• 1 onion, 
• 1 clove of garlic, 
• salt and pepper to taste,
• vegetable oil.

Preparation:

Step 1. Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté the finely chopped onion. Add spinach, garlic pressed through a press, and salt and pepper. When the leaves have reduced in volume, add ricotta cheese and mix.

Step 2. On a table or pastry board, pile the flour into a mound. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Start kneading the dough, gradually adding water. When the dough is smooth and uniform, divide it into three parts.

Step 3. Roll each piece into a long rectangle and cut out circles. Arrange them so that the edges overlap, fill with the filling, and seal them by folding in half.

Step 4. Then, roll the dough to form a rose shape. The given proportions of dough will yield about 6 roses. If you're worried the dough will be raw, you can pre-cook it. Carefully, on a ladle, immerse the rotolo in boiling water and cook for a few minutes. After cooking, transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Step 5. Arrange the roses in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with cheese. Place in an oven preheated to 175°C (350°F) for 30 minutes. You can also bake them with tomato sauce. Enjoy!