Sweet-Potato Stuffed Cannelloni
Posted by Gail | Filed under Gail Cooks!
Years ago I had dinner in a little restaurant on King Street in Toronto where they served the most wonderful sweet-potato stuffed ravioli. When I eat something delicious, I inevitably try to reverse-engineer it at home. While I’m no good at making my own ravioli, I found a way to achieve much the same effect by stuffing cannelloni with my sweet-potato concoction.
West Indians love sweet potatoes. There are actually a few varieties, and sometimes they are referred to as “yams”, but they aren’t. Yams are very starchy but not sweet, while sweet potatoes are smoother in texture.
Sweet potatoes are full of vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C, manganese, B6, iron, potassium and dietary fibre. Beta-carotene, which gives sweet potatoes their orange colour, only begins to tell the story of the antioxidants available. Those carotenoids help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. Beta-carotene acts like Pac-Man, gobbling up free radicals that cause the DNA mutations that can lead to wrinkles. And sweet potatoes have genes that are specialized for the production of anthocyanin pigments in the fleshy part of the tuber. Ordinary, we have to rely on the skins of foods for this same level of anthocyanin antioxidants.
Sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile. Try them roasted, puréed, steamed, baked, or grilled. Add ‘em to soups and stews, or grill and place on top of leafy greens for a delicious salad. Or try my Sweet-potato stuffed Cannelloni.
Gail’s Sweet-Potato-Stuffed Cannelloni
- 4 medium sized sweet potatoes
- 2 bunches of green onion chopped not too finely
- 1.5 cups of grated Parmesan (I use Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese
- 1/2 large bar of cream cheese
- 1 box oven-ready cannelloni
- 4-5 cups of tomato sauce (I use home-made) or meat sauce (for non-veggies)
- 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
Roast the sweet potatoes at 350 degrees until cooked. Skins should slip off easily. Discard skins and mash.
Add the copped green onions, the cream cheese and the Parmesan cheese.
Mix the sweet potato thoroughly and then stuff into the cannelloni.
Put sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, and lay the first layer of cannelloni. Add more sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of cannelloni and repeat with sauce and cheese.
May 9, 2012 at 5:44 am
We make sweet potato hot chips. Slice finely and then oven cook. Delicious and simple. And unlike plain potato hot chips, they are so flavoursome, no added salt or herbs are needed. Yum yum.
I look forward to trying sweet potato cannelloni. Another way of getting veggies into the kids!
May 9, 2012 at 5:47 am
Just a tip when cooking any type of potato – they seem tontake forever in the oven, so I cook them nearly completely in the microwave first then just crisp them in the oven. Works a treat.
May 9, 2012 at 7:33 am
Love sweet potatoes so may give this a try. Do you think it would work if ricotta was used instead of cream cheese? I’ve got an eater who refuses to try anything containing cream cheese.
Sweet potato tempura is delicious and one of my favourite ways to eat them although not as healthy as other ways of cooking.
May 9, 2012 at 8:55 am
Sounds delish! I’m adding this to my menu plan very soon!
May 9, 2012 at 9:07 am
mmm! Gail, wonton wrappers make good ravioli and all you have to do is stuff, fold or crimp and boil.
May 9, 2012 at 9:17 am
Once it’s assembled, how long does it need to bake and at what temp?
May 9, 2012 at 9:38 am
ooops… Teresa, bake at 350 for about 40 mins – an hour depending on the size of your dish.
May 9, 2012 at 10:11 am
Love sweet potatoe fries so must give this a try-sounds delicious, thanks!
May 9, 2012 at 10:55 am
I always get yam fries in restaurants and really they’re sweet potatos. It’s weird that people don’t know the difference.
May 9, 2012 at 11:26 am
This sounds so good, makes me hungry and it’s only 10 o’clock.
I have never bought cannelloni but I love all pasta so I would totally try it. Actually just looking at the picture makes me wonder what else you can stuff in them. First thought is broccoli and mushroom for me. I am sure there is a recipe for that too.
May 9, 2012 at 11:44 am
What do you consider a sweet potato? I know some people think yams are sweet pototoes and some think sweet potatoes are yams.
May 9, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Even easier tip for making cannelloni, use lasagna noodles! Whenever I try & stuff those tubes, I inevitably rip a bunch & they look like cr*p. Instead, buy no-boil lasagna noodles, soak briefly in hot water until pliable, and roll up the cannelloni around it. Put them seam-side down into the baking dish that’s coated with sauce, and you’re good!
May 9, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I love sweet potatoes and I use them whenever I can. Add sweet potatoes to vegetarian chili- YUM!!!! It will change your life.
This sounds delish and I can’t wait to try it!!!
May 9, 2012 at 1:05 pm
You can use Smart Pasta or Whole Wheat(WW takes longer) Lasagna Noodles. Also you can substitute Zucchini sliced length wise instead of Noodles. I also use skim milk cheese and add a variety of veggies and Tuna or Salmon.(I know not everyones cup of tea)
Tess: Funny I just bought Sweet Potatoes this morning to make Hot Chips. I did so because I was tempted to buy a couple of bags of baked Old Dutch chips.(On sale at Mac’s FYI 2 small bag for $2 and large bags for $1.50 not baked though for the big bags) Also Other good deals for there 50th Anniversary. $1 for giant slushes. I had a low sugar slush and Fibre1 for this morning. I know breakfast of Champions.
May 9, 2012 at 1:13 pm
YUMMY Gail!!!
May 9, 2012 at 1:17 pm
This looks really delicious – I am going to try this one this weekend! I’ve had some success making my own ravioli from scratch recently and I think I will try this as both stuffed cannelloni and as ravioli.
Linda: my guess is that it would work with ricotta, but since ricotta is wetter and looser than cream cheese, you’d need to keep an eye on consistency and possibly use a bit less – you don’t want your stuffing itself to be too wet. Plus, of course, cream cheese is a lot richer, making it, in my view, more delicious (though of course less healthy).
Personally, I wouldn’t use a meat sauce (and if I did, I might use ricotta in the stuffing), otherwise, it might just be a little too rich for my palate. A nice marinara sauce, perhaps with thyme and a little hot pepper instead of the traditional basil and oregano, would be a nice zippy contrast to the creaminess of the sweet potato and cheese stuffing (plus add a little more West Indian flavour to the fusion aspect of this dish). Thanks for the inspiration, Gail!
May 9, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Would love to see your homemade tomato sauce recipe too….
May 9, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Yummy! This looks so good! Your other recipes have all been a hit, so I can’t wait to add this one to the menu next week!
May 9, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Wow! I make a dish similar w/ Birds Eye frozen winter squash, but never thought about a sweet potato. Awesome, thanks!
May 9, 2012 at 8:55 pm
I got this recipe from you a few years ago and it is one of my favorites now!
May 11, 2012 at 10:37 pm
i have been making your Sweet Potato Cannelloni recipe since the day you first posted it a couple of years ago. i had the ingredients in the house and my football player boyo devoured the pan. We’ve since made it for family, friends, potluck dinners and for a mission we cook for. Everyone loves it and is wonderfully nourished too. i always tell people it is ‘Gail from ’til Debt’s dish’…i send them to your website so hopefully their understanding of how to handle money is nourished too!! thanx Gail. Could you post a good beans and rice recipe?
June 4, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Could you freeze this recipe and cook it later?