Scallop Bacon and Ricotta Cannelloni with Roasted Tomato Fennel Sauce

This definitely is my very favorite pasta dish! It combines so many of my favorite flavours and ingredients. Scallops are my favorite seafood and this roasted fennel and tomato sauce is a perfect accompaniment to the scallop, ricotta and bacon flavours. This is a great recipe for any special occasion dinner. I sometimes prepare the filling and sauce the day before and can then assemble the cannelloni quite quickly for a workday dinner. Absolutely delicious!

Serves 4
8 large ripe tomatoes diced
1 large fennel bulb diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to season
2 tbsp basil

Toss all ingredients together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F until the fennel pieces are very soft and most of the liquid has cooked off. Puree in a food processor or blender and set the sauce aside.

1 package fresh lasagna pasta sheets, cut in half to make 12 cannelloni rollers

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet
Add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook for one minute
Toss in
1 to 1 ½ pound small scallops

Sauté the scallops in the garlic butter over high heat for only a couple of minutes and remove from the heat and let cool to almost room temperature.

Mix together:

1 sixteen ounce tub ricotta cheese
6 slices bacon, cut in small pieces and cooked crisp
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Add the sautéed scallops and stir well. Spoon a couple of heaping tablespoons of the filling onto each half sheet of pasta roll into a cylinder.

Spoon about 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and lay the cannelloni in a single layer on top of the sauce. Cover with the remaining sauce and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.