Scallop Bacon Ricotta Cannelloni
This definitely is my very favorite pasta dish! It combines so many of my favorite flavours and ingredients. Scallops are my favorite seafood and this roasted fennel and tomato sauce is a perfect accompaniment to the scallop, ricotta and bacon flavours. This is a great recipe for any special occasion dinner. I sometimes prepare the filling and sauce the day before and can then assemble the cannelloni quite quickly for a workday dinner. Absolutely delicious!
Scallop Bacon Ricotta Cannelloni
Scallop Bacon Ricotta Cannelloni with Roasted Tomato Fennel Sauce
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
Small scallops with bacon and ricotta in cannelloni pasta, smothered in a rich tomato fennel sauce.
Course:
Dinner
Cuisine:
Italian Inspired
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 8 large ripe tomatoes diced
- 1 large fennel bulb diced
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbsp basil
For the cannelloni
- 1 package fresh lasagna pasta sheets cut in half to make 12 cannelloni rollers
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 pounds small scallops
- 1 sixteen ounce tub ricotta cheese
- 6 slices bacon cut in small pieces and cooked crisp
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- pinch tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
To make the sauce
-
Toss all the sauce ingredients together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F until the fennel pieces are very soft and most of the liquid has cooked off. (About an hour) Puree in a food processor or blender and set the sauce aside.
To make the cannelloni
-
Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the minced garlic and cook for one minute, then toss in the scallops.
-
Sauté the scallops in the garlic butter over high heat for only a couple of minutes and remove from the heat and let cool to almost room temperature.
-
Mix together the ricotta cheese, bacon, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
-
Add the sautéed scallops and stir well.
-
Spoon a couple of heaping tablespoons of the filling onto each half sheet of pasta roll into a cylinder.
-
Spoon about 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and lay the cannelloni in a single layer on top of the sauce.
-
Cover with the remaining sauce and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Rachel
Tuesday 30th of June 2009
When I baked this my lasagne noodles got super crispy and hard, and only the food under the sauce was edible. Beginner mistake I'm sure, but I thought it was worth noting - make enough sauce to completely cover all your noodles and do cover them well before baking.
Anonymous
Thursday 22nd of January 2009
We had this for a family dinner recently, and it was absolutely delicious. The roasted fennel sauce was a perfect balance between the sweetness of the fennel and the pungency of the garlic. The bacon contrasted so well with the scallops, and we couldn't believe how it all went so well together. I have a difficult time getting fennel in our area, but definitely buy it every time I see it now to make this delicious sauce.Thanks!
Anonymous
Saturday 25th of October 2008
Even so early in the a.m. that sounds so delicious!!!Thanks