Mushroom cannelloni is a simple Italian dish for everybody. It makes a healthy and filling snack, lunch or even as a main meal. If you’re expecting a vegetarian guest for a meal, and don’t want to cook something for them specially, mushroom cannelloni would be an excellent dish to give them. However it needs to be served with other vegetables or salad to make it a full meal.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 350 g chestnut mushrooms, chopped finely
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 tbsp white wine
• 4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
• 12 dried cannelloni
• salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese shavings, to garnish (optional)

Tomato Sauce

• 1 large red bell pepper
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 450 ml passata (sieved tomatoes)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the mushrooms, onion and garlic in a pan. Stir in the thyme, nutmeg and 4 tbsp wine. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs to bind the mixture together and season. Cool for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill to hot. To make the sauce, halve and deseed the bell pepper, place on the grill rack and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until charred. Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Once the bell pepper has cooled, peel off the skin. Chop the flesh and place in a food processor with the wine. Blend until smooth. Pour into a pan.
4. Mix the remaining sauce ingredients with the bell pepper and wine and season. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
5. Cover the base of an oven proof dish with a thin layer of sauce. Fill the cannelloni with the mushroom mixture and place in the dish. Spoon over the remaining sauce, cover with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Ingredients (Serves 6 to 8 )

• 1 medium aubergine (eggplant)
• 300 g tricolor pasta shapes
• 115 g low fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs
• 350 ml passata (sieved tomatoes)
• 4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp dry white breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease and line a 20.5 cm round spring-form cake tin.
2. Trim the aubergine and cut lengthwise into slices about 5mm thick. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and set aside for 30 minutes to remove any bitter juices. Rinse well and drain.
3. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the aubergine slices for 1 minute. Drain and pat dry using absorbent kitchen paper. Set aside.
4. Cook the pasta shapes according to the instructions on the packet. For best results, the pasta should be slightly undercooked. Drain well and return to the pan. Add the soft cheese and allow it to melt over the pasta.
5. Stir in the passata, Parmesan cheese, oregano and seasoning. Set aside.
6. Arrange the aubergine over the base and sides of the ti, overlapping the slices so that there are no gaps.
7. Pile the pasta mixture into the tin, packing down well and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes and let stand for 15 minutes.
8. Loosen the cake round the edge with a palette knife and release from the tin. Turn out aubergine side uppermost and serve hot.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 ready made individual pizza bases
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g can chopped tomatoes with garlic and herbs
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 200 g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 115 g sweetcorn kernels, thawed if frozen
• 1 to 2 tsp chili sauce
• 1 large red onion, shredded
• 100 g reduced fat Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 large green chili, sliced into rings
• salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Arrange the pizza bases on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with the oil.
2. In a bowl, mix together the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, kidney beans and sweetcorn, and add chili sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread the tomato and kidney bean mixture evenly over each pizza base to cover. Top each pizza with shredded onion and sprinkle with some grated cheese and a few slices of green chili to taste. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender, the cheese has melted and the base is crisp and golden.
4. Remove the pizzas from the baking sheet and transfer to serving plates. Serve immediately.

“For a low fat Mexican style salad to serve with this pizza, arranged slice tomatoes, fresh coriander leaves and a few slices of small, ripe avocado. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and coarse sea salt. Avocados have quite a high oil content, so eat in moderation.”