Nici Wickes: Vegetarian Mushroom Cannelloni

In celebration of Vegetarian Month, this dish of cannelloni filled with mushrooms, tomato, spinach, and lentils and covered with a creamy cheese sauce is divine!   Serves one     Ingredients  2 tbsp olive oil   1 small onion, diced   1 large portobello mushroom, chopped roughly   ½ can crushed tomatoes   ½ teaspoon dried thyme   ½ can lentils, drained   1 cup shredded spinach   4 cannelloni pasta tubes   Topping   1/3 cup crème fraiche   1/3 cup liquid stock or water   1/3 cup grated cheese   Salt and pepper to season     Method  Heat oven to 180 C. Grease a small oven-proof dish that will fit the pasta tubes snugly.   Make the filling by heating the oil in a pan and cooking onions and mushroom for 3-4 minutes until softened a bit. Pour in tomatoes and thyme and heat until it simmers. Add in lentils and spinach and cook, covered, until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat.   Take each pasta tube and stamp it into the filling repeatedly until the tube fills with the filling. Fill from both ends if you like. Lay filled tubes into the prepared dish.   Loosen the leftover filling with a splash or two of water and pour this in and around the cannelloni.   Whisk the creme fraiche, stock, and half the cheese together. Season. Pour over the pasta.   Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until it’s golden and bubbling and the pasta is tender.   Serve with a simple salad.     Other filling ideas:   Spinach, ricotta, and chilli flakes   Mashed pumpkin, parmesan, and caramelised onion    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.