How to make turkey rotolo with spinach and ricotta

This elaborate dish turns pasta into something special to serve for a memorable dinner party or fun family meal. The colourful layered filling – creamy spinach and ricotta and succulent turkey mince – is rolled in fresh homemade pasta, sliced and stood on its end for a striking final effect. Don’t forget to screenshot the ingredients list at the bottom of the guide for the next time you go in store.

Make the pasta

In a food processor, pulse together the pasta ingredients to form a loose dough. Tip out, bring together with your hands and knead gently until smooth. To make the pasta by hand, on a clean surface form the flour into a mound and shape a large well in the centre. Add the eggs and oil, then use your hands to mix gently, gradually bringing the flour into the centre, until a dough forms. Knead gently until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest at room temperature for 45 mins.

Make the tomato sauce

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over a low heat, then add the garlic and fry for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently for 20 mins; set aside to cool.

Cook the spinach

Place the spinach in a large heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 2 mins to wilt, then drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Use your hands to squeeze out the excess water, then roughly chop and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, lidded frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, covered, for 15 mins to soften. Increase the heat to high, add the turkey mince and oregano and fry for 5 mins, stirring continuously to break up the mince. Add the tomato purée and cook for another 2 mins, then leave to cool.

Roll out the pasta

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pasta dough out into a large rectangle (roughly 60cm x 40cm). Transfer to a large, clean tea towel. Spread two-thirds of the ricotta evenly all over the pasta, leaving a 2cm border. Season, then top with the wilted spinach, followed by the turkey filling and half the Parmesan.

Poach the rotolo

Brush the borders of the pasta dough with water, then roll up lengthways as tightly as possible and pinch the ends closed. Wrap the rotolo in the tea towel and tie the ends tightly with string. Place in a large pan half-filled with simmering water, bending the rotolo to fit. Cover and simmer for 20 mins.

Remove the pasta

Remove from the pan and leave to cool for 10 mins before removing the tea towel. Lightly oil a large ovenproof dish (approximately 30cm round) and spread two-thirds of the tomato sauce over the base. Slice the rotolo into 12 even pieces, about 3.5cm thick, then arrange tightly in the dish, cut-side up.

Add the sauce and bake

Dot the remaining sauce and ricotta in between the pasta rounds, sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining oil. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins, then uncover and bake for another 20 mins, until golden and bubbling.

Ingredients

Here's all you need to make this showstopping turkey rotolo. Be sure to take a note of the ingredients, or take a screenshot, before you head to the shops:
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g tins finely chopped tomatoes
500g pack spinach
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
500g pack turkey breast mince
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato purée
250g tub ricotta
50g Parmesan, finely grated
240g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
3 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
Serves 6
Each serving contains
- Energy
  1880kj
  447kcal 22%
- Fat
  16g 23%
- Saturates
  5g 24%
- Sugars
  13g 15%
- Salt
  1g 16%
of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 45.3g Protein 33.9g Fibre 7.7g