Chicken Cannelloni With Cheese Sauce

Submitted by Cook4_6

"Chicken Cannelloni is a favorite of mine and I love mixing red and white sauce! Yummy, but not low fat!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 20
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• FILLING

• 1 3⁄4 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 1 lb lasagna noodle
• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream or 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1⁄4 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch spinach, cooked until

• CHEESE SAUCE

• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups half-and-half
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1⁄2 - 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (optional)
• spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought) (optional)

directions

1. THE NIGHT BEFORE (or early in the day): Cook lasagna noodles in 6 quarts boiling water for 5-7 minutes or until tender; drain, wipe noodles dry with a clean/dry cloth, lay flat on waxed paper.
2. While noodles are cooking, melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet.
3. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until they're tender; add remove from heat; set aside.
4. Place cooked chicken in food processor and pulse until chicken resembles a tuna salad mixture.
5. Combine chicken with the onions, garlic, mushrooms and the fat in which they were sauteed; add egg, cream and seasonings. Add spinach (cooked) and mix well.
6. Cut each lasagna noodle into 2 or 3 pieces-each piece should be 3 to 4 inches long; place a tablespoonful of the chicken filling on each piece and roll into a tubular shape. If you don't want to make canneloni, just layer the ingredients like you would for lasagna.
7. Arrange rolls next to each other, one layer deep, in a buttered baking dish; set aside while you prepare the cheese sauce.
8. CHEESE SAUCE: Melt butter then add the flour and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste.
9. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps; add cream, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth; remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.
10. I like to use, both, red and white sauce on this one. I spoon over a strip of the white sauce, next to it I spoon on some red; keep doing that across the dish until the sauce covers the noodles. The red/white pattern makes it look pretty and gives the dish a little more flavor. It also cuts back on some of the fat.
11. Spoon sauce over cannelloni in baking dish; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese, if used; refrigerate until you're ready to bake it.
12. BEFORE SERVING: Preheat broiler; place cannelloni 4-5 inches from heat and broil for 10 minutes or until sauce bubbles and top browns. If you'll be making lasagna, bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the top is browned a bit.