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I’m not going to lie to you, this isn’t a fast and easy recipe. It’s cannelloni, it’s not supposed to be, right? But you’ll have to trust me on this one, it is worth every second of prep.
The sweet roasted pumpkin, paired with the tang of goat’s cheese nestled in a bed of luscious creamy cheese and basil sauce? swoon
If you want a dish that’s a crowd pleaser, try this one. And since there are very few vegetarian options, bonus points for being meat-free.
In fact, I’ll bet that your friends don’t even notice that they’re eating low carb, or vegetarian, they will be too busy taking seconds and asking you for the recipe! This is quite a rich dish, so make sure that you pair it with lots of leafy greens.
Hands-on Overall
Nutritional values (per serving)
Net carbs6.6 grams
Protein17.1 grams
Fat37.8 grams
Calories427 kcal
Calories from carbs 6%, protein 16%, fat 78%
Total carbs7.8 gramsFiber1.2 gramsSugars3.8 gramsSaturated fat22.3 gramsSodium472 mg(21% RDA)Magnesium36 mg(9% RDA)Potassium375 mg(19% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
- 2 cups diced pumpkin (232 g/ 8.2 oz)
- 3 leeks - use only the outer parts which will be about 90 g/ 3.2 oz
- 1 small head of cauliflower (265 g/ 9.4 oz)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)
- 8 ounces goat’s cheese, crumbled (226 g)
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (226 g)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped (8 g/ 0.3 oz)
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan or other Italian hard cheese (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 small clove)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (57 g/ 2 oz)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F (conventional). Remove skin and seeds from pumpkin and cut into small cubes (around 1 inch/ 2 cm). Place on to roasting tray.
- Cut cauliflower into florets and place on tray with pumpkin.
- Scatter thyme over vegetables, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for approx. 35-45 minutes, until soft and caramelised.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Crumble goat’s cheese into a bowl. Mash pumpkin and cauliflower roughly, you still want quite a bit of texture, just not any huge pieces.
- Place in bowl with goat’s cheese and spinach, and mix through.
- Cut the white ends of your leeks into lengths to suit your lasagne dish.
- Very carefully remove the outer few layers of the leek by slicing through one side and gently unwrapping them. Although this recipe calls for three leeks, you only use a small part of each of them. Store the rest for use in another dish.
- Cook until tender. You’ll have to watch this yourself because the times can really change. You want your leek to be pliable, but not soggy. One ready, remove the leeks from the pot and place in cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Using a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and the double cream until smooth. Add the basil, Parmesan, garlic and eggs and process until combined.
- Spread about a third of your cheese sauce onto the base of your lasagne dish. Lay your leek tubes out flat and place about three tablespoons of mixture in the centre of each.
- Roll the leek up around the filling, creating a tube and place in your dish, seam side down. Continue filling and rolling until your dish is full.
- Pour and spread the balance of the cheese sauce over the leek tubes (feel free to scrape the bowl and eat it with a spoon!)
- Sprinkle grated cheddar over the top and add a touch of Parmesan.
- Bake at 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F (conventional) for about 30 minutes, or until browned on top and hot through. Serve with a simple fresh green salad.
To store, let it cool down, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Pumpkin & Spinach Cannelloni
Step by Step
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced pumpkin (232 g/ 8.2 oz)
- 3 leeks - use only the outer parts which will be about 90 g/ 3.2 oz
- 1 small head of cauliflower (265 g/ 9.4 oz)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)
- 8 ounces goat’s cheese, crumbled (226 g)
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (226 g)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped (8 g/ 0.3 oz)
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan or other Italian hard cheese (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 small clove)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (57 g/ 2 oz)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F (conventional). Remove skin and seeds from pumpkin and cut into small cubes (around 1 inch/ 2 cm). Place on to roasting tray.
- Cut cauliflower into florets and place on tray with pumpkin.
- Scatter thyme over vegetables, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for approx. 35-45 minutes, until soft and caramelised.
- Remove from oven and let cool. Crumble goat’s cheese into a bowl. Mash pumpkin and cauliflower roughly, you still want quite a bit of texture, just not any huge pieces.
- Place in bowl with goat’s cheese and spinach, and mix through.
- Cut the white ends of your leeks into lengths to suit your lasagne dish.
- Very carefully remove the outer few layers of the leek by slicing through one side and gently unwrapping them. Although this recipe calls for three leeks, you only use a small part of each of them. Store the rest for use in another dish.
- Cook until tender. You’ll have to watch this yourself because the times can really change. You want your leek to be pliable, but not soggy. One ready, remove the leeks from the pot and place in cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Using a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and the double cream until smooth. Add the basil, Parmesan, garlic and eggs and process until combined.
- Spread about a third of your cheese sauce onto the base of your lasagne dish. Lay your leek tubes out flat and place about three tablespoons of mixture in the centre of each.
- Roll the leek up around the filling, creating a tube and place in your dish, seam side down. Continue filling and rolling until your dish is full.
- Pour and spread the balance of the cheese sauce over the leek tubes (feel free to scrape the bowl and eat it with a spoon!)
- Sprinkle grated cheddar over the top and add a touch of Parmesan.
- Bake at 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F (conventional) for about 30 minutes, or until browned on top and hot through. Serve with a simple fresh green salad.
To store, let it cool down, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories427kcal
Net Carbs6.6g
Carbohydrates7.8g
Protein17.1g
Fat37.8g
Saturated Fat22.3g
Fiber1.2g
Sugar3.8g
Sodium472mg
Magnesium36mg
Potassium375mg
Detailed nutritional breakdown (per serving)
| Total per serving |
| 6.6 g | 17.1 g | 37.8 g | 427 kcal |
| Pumpkin, fresh |
| 1.7 g | 0.3 g | 0 g | 8 kcal |
| Leeks, (bulb and lower leaf-portion), raw |
| 1.4 g | 0.2 g | 0 g | 7 kcal |
| Thyme, fresh |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Spinach, fresh |
| 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Cauliflower, fresh |
| 1 g | 0.6 g | 0.1 g | 8 kcal |
| Cream cheese, soft (full-fat) |
| 0.9 g | 2 g | 7.9 g | 69 kcal |
| Parmesan cheese |
| 0.4 g | 4 g | 2.9 g | 44 kcal |
| Basil, fresh |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Garlic, fresh |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat) |
| 0.8 g | 0.6 g | 11.4 g | 110 kcal |
| Goat cheese (semi-soft) |
| 0 g | 6.1 g | 8.5 g | 103 kcal |
| Cheddar cheese |
| 0.2 g | 1.6 g | 2.4 g | 29 kcal |
| Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs) |
| 0.1 g | 1.6 g | 1.2 g | 18 kcal |
| Olive oil, extra virgin |
| 0 g | 0 g | 3.4 g | 30 kcal |
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