Tom Kerridge's Mushroom and Aubergine Cannelloni

Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over a high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until they are translucent. Add the garlic and portobello mushrooms, stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes. Next, add the aubergines and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Stir through the umami paste and the herbs and add 1 can of chopped tomatoes. Season well with salt and pepper and cook for a further 5-7 minutes or until both the mushroom and aubergine are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool completely. When the mixture has cooled, stir through the ricotta and breadcrumbs. 

Next, for the sauteed mushrooms, take a large frying pan and place it over a high heat. Add the oil and butter and when the butter is foaming add the chestnut mushrooms. Cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and are beginning to brown. At this point, add the garlic and thyme leaves, stir well and cook for 2 minutes before pouring in the wine. Let the wine bubble away until it has almost vanished. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan. 

Now it’s time to make the bechamel sauce. Place a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the butter and stir until melted. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition.  When all the milk has been added, continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Lower the heat and add the mustard, nutmeg and the cheeses. Stir gently until the cheese has completely melted. Keep it on a very low heat and season with salt and pepper then turn off the heat.

To assemble the cannelloni, you will need a large, deep baking dish. Exactly how you arrange the cannelloni will depend on the dimensions of your baking dish, but aim to make 10-12 filled pasta tubes, with the tubes carefully placed alongside each other in two layers. 

First, spread half of the remaining can of chopped tomatoes onto the bottom of your baking dish. Then, to fill the pasta, you will need 1-2 generous dessert spoonfuls of the mushroom and aubergine filling for each of the pasta sheets. Lay a pasta sheet down on your work surface and place a spoonful or two of the filling across the middle, roll the pasta sheet around it to create a filled pasta tube and gently place this in your dish on top of the chopped tomatoes. Repeat with the rest of the pasta sheets and filling. 

Spread the remaining chopped tomatoes over the top of the filled pasta tubes and sprinkle over a little seasoning. Then spoon over the sautéed mushrooms, pour over the béchamel sauce, spreading it out evenly, and sprinkle over the extra parmesan cheese.

Place the baking dish on a middle shelf in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pasta sheets are tender and the cheesy top is bubbling and golden brown. Leave it to cool slightly before serving. 

Tom’s tip

You can use fresh pasta sheets to roll your own tubes as we are doing here, or buy ready-rolled dried or fresh pasta tubes if you prefer.