Cannelloni with Tomato Eggplant Sauce Crockpot Recipe

Cannelloni with Tomato Eggplant Sauce Crockpot Recipe



Ingredients needed for sauce:

* 1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes, and drained of excessive moisture
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
* 3 cups of tomato sauce

Ingredients needed for filling:

* 2 cups of ricotta cheese
* 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 1/2 cups of chopped baby spinach
* 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt
* 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
* 24 oven-ready cannelloni shells

Preparation steps:

* Sauce: In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add eggplant, in batches, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown, adding more oil if necessary. Return all eggplant to pan. Add garlic and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, stir well and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
* Filling: In a bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, nutmeg, egg, salt and pepper. Using your fingers, fill pasta shells with mixture and place filled shells side by side in crockpot, then on top of each other when bottom layer is complete. Pour sauce over shells.
* Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Enjoy