Gino's cannelloni filled with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and basil

Forget meatballs, carbonara or bolognese - Gino has a quick meat-free meal to add to your weekly recipe repertoire. Full of fresh ingredients, Gino's cannelloni alla margherita, inspired by the flavours of a margherita pizza - tomato, mozzarella and basil. Delizioso!

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

9 fresh pasta sheets, approx. 21 x 15cm each (about 375g)720ml passata15 fresh basil leaves50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese2 mozzarella balls, drained and finely sliced

For the filling

500g ricotta cheese20g fresh basil leaves200g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg3 mozzarella balls, drained and cut into 1cm cubesSalt and pepper to taste

For the béchamel sauce

100g salted butter100g plain flour1 litre cold full fat milk¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C/ fan 160C / gas 4

• First make the béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute until it turns light brown in colour.

• Gradually whisk in the cold milk, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes, whisking constantly. Once thickened, stir in the nutmeg, season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.

• Pour the passata into a large bowl with the basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper, mix together and set aside.

• To prepare the filling, place all the ingredients, except the mozzarella, in a large bowl, season and use a fork to mix everything together. Scatter over the cubed mozzarella, fold together and leave in the fridge to rest

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the pasta sheets, two at a time, and cook for 1 minute, to just soften. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean tea towel. Repeat with the other sheets of pasta.

• Place about 5 tbsp of the filling across each pasta sheet and start to roll up the pasta from the long side going forward. To seal the cannelloni, overlap each pasta sheet by about 2cm. Repeat until all the pasta sheets are filled. Cut each tube into three equal pieces.

• Select a rectangular dish measuring 25 x 35cm and pour in a third of the béchamel sauce. Spread evenly. Place half of the cannelloni onto the béchamel layer with the seam facing down. Spoon over half the passata and half of the remaining béchamel sauce.

• Build up the second layer of cannelloni and spoon over the remaining passata. Spread over the remaining béchamel sauce. Finish by sprinkling over the Parmesan cheese and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.

• Remove the dish from the oven, place the slices of mozzarella on top and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden and crispy

• Once ready, leave it to rest for 5 minutes out of the oven. It will be easier to cut and serve as the layers will hold together.