Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Cannelloni

Submitted by KelBel

"Had this at the Macaroni Grill. It was delicious. This is a copycat version I found online."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• Cannelloni Filling

• 8 ounces chicken breasts, cooked
• 1 ounce fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 ounce sun-dried tomato, sliced
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 sheets lasagna noodles

• Cannelloni Sauce

• 16 ounces alfredo sauce
• 16 ounces marinara sauce
• 3 ounces parmesan cheese, grated

directions

1. Dice the chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella, pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly.
2. Arrange precooked pasta sheets on a cutting board and place two or three rounded tablespoons of filling mixture down the center of each pasta sheet and carefully roll pasta around filling in a cigar fashion.
3. Place the rolled cannelloni, side by side, into an ovenproof shallow baking dish. Place Alfredo sauce and tomato sauce in bowl and mix until well incorporated. Pour sauce over cannelloni covering completely.
4. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over top of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for approximately 20 minutes.
5. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. Remove from oven and serve family style or on individual plates garnished with fresh diced tomatoes, and basil or Italian parsley.

Reviews

[Lorelei B.]

This was fabulous! I made several changes, because the recipe I was actually hoping to duplicate was Maggiano's Chicken Spinach Manicotti. I doubled the chicken and spinach and eliminated the tomatoes and marinara. I poached and shredded the chicken, and blanched the spinach in boiling water for 20-30 seconds until wilted. I also added about 1/2 cup of asiago/romano/parmesan shredded cheese mixture to the filling. I made my own alfredo sauce, and topped with the 3 oz. Parmesan plus another 3 oz. of the asiago/romano mix. Again, I made a lot of changes but the recipe was a great base and it turned out really wonderful. I think it was even better than the restaurant version!

 

[verodcook]

Where is the beef, I mean the chicken?? I found the chicken to ricotta ratio to be way off compared to the restaurant's version. I used 1/2 the ricotta cheese & still tasted mostly like ricotta & spinach cannelloni. I think the recipe needs way more chicken (and less ricotta).

 

[smithjr10087]

I made this recipe over the weekend. Everyone loved it. And it was easy to make. I used cottage cheese (drained for a couple hours thru cheesecloth) instead of the ricotta and it was fine. Next time I would add some garlic. I might also add some fresh basil to the sauce.

 

[kat30s]

This is my favorite dish at Macaroni Grill, and when I found this recipe and tried it - with no changes - it was phenomenal! It is very rich, so a little goes a long way. This served with a nice herb foccacia bread and a side salad is a fantastic meal. My husband had one bite and asked when I was going to make it again!

 

[Will B.]

After eating this at macaroni grill I had to try it myself. The first time I made it with the tomatoes and they were a bit overwhelming but it was still amazing. I've only made this with a homemade alfredo sauce which you must do! Sauté some garlic in butter then when golden add heavy whipping cream until it starts to boil and then reduce heat while continually stirring. then add shredded parm/asiago/Romano as well as basil and oregano. Stir until cheese is melted. You'll never buy alfredo sauce again. The last time I made this dish I put a few spoons of sundried tomato basil in the filling and it is just right. I've made the pasta from scratch a few times and that is fun but the strorebought manicotti works great too.