Description
Crespelle alla Fiorentina is a comforting dish of crepes stuffed with ricotta and spinach and topped with bechamel and marinara.
Ingredients
1 Batch of Crespelle
Tomato Sauce
(use 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup of your favorite basic tomato sauce, or follow my recipe below)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup (240ml) tomato passata (I used Pomi strained tomatoes)
- 4-6 fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Ricotta Spinach Filling
- 8 oz (225g) baby spinach
- 1 cup (240g) ricotta cheese (cow’s or sheep’s milk)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp (10g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan)
- Dash of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Bechamel Sauce (Besciamella)
- 2 cups (475ml) whole milk
- 2 tbsp (16g) all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
- Dash of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiano reggiano, for topping
Instructions
- Make the tomato sauce. Add olive oil, whole garlic cloves and red pepper flakes to a small pot. Turn heat to medium. When garlic sizzles for about 15-30 seconds, add tomato puree and season with salt and pepper. Stir in ¼ cup of water, partially cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until thickened and flavorful. Adjust with additional water, salt or pepper, as needed. Cover and set aside. Skip this step if you’re using leftover or store-bought marinara.
- Cook the spinach. While the tomato sauce cooks, bring a large pot of water to boil. Season water generously with salt. Add spinach to boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes, until water returns to a boil and spinach is tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Place spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to wring out excess water. Finely chop the spinach.
- Mix the filling. In a bowl, stir together the chopped spinach, ricotta, egg, parmesan and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
- Make the bechamel. Warm milk in a small pot. In another pot, melt butter over medium heat. When foaming, sprinkle flour over butter and whisk vigorously until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Gradually ladle in warmed milk, ½ cup a time, while constantly whisking. Simmer for 7-10 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, similar to the thickness of a hot custard (between a pureed soup and creamy sauce). Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Coat an 8x8 inch baking dish with a thin layer of bechamel.
- Fill and roll the crepes. Lay crepe flat with the paler side facing up. Spoon in 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons of filling across the bottom third of the crepe. Fold short side of the crepe over the filling, and roll into a tubular shape (like manicotti or cannelloni). Repeat process, filling a total of 6 crepes.
- Bake the crespelle. Place stuffed crepes in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the remaining bechamel over the crepes. Spoon dollops of tomato sauce on top of the bechamel, as desired. You can use as little as ¼ cup of tomato sauce or up to the entire ¾ cup of sauce (I actually prefer more sauce than shown in photos above). Top with grated parmesan. Bake in preheated for 20-25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Broil for 1-3 minutes for additional browning, if desired. Allow to stand about 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Notes
One half batch of crepes is just enough for this recipe, however, I recommend making the full batch in case your first couple crepes don’t turn out perfectly. You can also freeze any extra crepes.
If you double this recipe, use a full recipe for my crepes and bake in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
If you use a standard American ricotta cheese, I suggest placing the cheese in a fine mesh strainer lined with a cheesecloth, and draining for 30-60 minutes to remove excess water before preparing the filling.
If using mature spinach, trim the stems and blanche for about 4-5 minutes, rather than only 2-3 minutes.
You can use Pecorino romano cheese instead of parmesan.
As an alternative to rolling the crepes, you can spread the filling over half of the crepe, fold it in half and fold it in half again to form a triangle shape.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Crepes
- Method: Saute, Simmer, Boil, Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of tray
- Calories: 565
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 860mg
- Fat: 33g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 225mg
