Photo: Laura Edwards
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and some seasoning. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until the onion is soft. Uncover, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Stir in the sundried tomato paste and chilli flakes, followed by the chopped tomatoes and oregano; simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the juices have thickened slightly. Season; pour over the base of a 23cm x 33cm x 7cm deep rectangular ovenproof baking dish.
Put the ricotta cheese into a mixing bowl and mix in the parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, sliced peppers, basil, beaten egg and seasoning to taste.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the remaining olive oil. Drop 10 of the lasagne sheets into the boiling water, one at a time, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice to stop them sticking together. Remove, one at a time, to a bowl of cold water using tongs, then lift out and lay side-by-side on a clean tea towel to drain. Repeat with the remaining lasagne sheets.
Spoon some of the ricotta mixture (about 65 g) along one short edge of each sheet of lasagne, roll them up and lay them side-by-side and tightly packed together on top of the tomato sauce.
For the topping, melt the butter in a nonstick pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat; gradually beat in the milk. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture boils and thickens. Add the nutmeg, season well and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the cannelloni, covering them completely and sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top. Cover and chill. Wrap the dish up well in foil to transport.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Bake the cannelloni on a baking tray in the centre of the oven for 1¼-1½ hours or until well-browned and bubbling.