Chicken cannelloni with cheese sauce

 
                    CHICKEN CANNELLONI WITH CHEESE SAUCE
 
 Recipe By     : 
 Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Pasta
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    1 3/4   c            Chicken, cooked & diced
    1       lb           Lasagna Noodles
    2       tb           Butter or Margarine
    2       tb           Olive oil
    2                    Cloves Garlic, finely
                         -chopped
    1       sm           Onion, finely chopped
    4       oz           Mushrooms, chopped
    1       lg           Egg, beaten
    2       tb           Heavy Cream or Half-and-Half
      1/4   ts           Thyme
      1/2   ts           Salt
    1       bn           Spinach, cooked until
                         -----CHEESE SAUCE-----
    3       tb           Butter or Margarine
    4       tb           Flour
    1 1/2   c            Chicken Broth
    3       c            Half-and-Half
                         Salt and Pepper to taste
    1       c            Parmesan Cheese
      1/2   c            (to 1 cup) Mozzarella
                         -Cheese, grated (opt)
                         Spaghetti Sauce (homemade
                         -or store bought) (opt)
 
   THE NIGHT BEFORE (or early in the day): Cook lasagna
   noodles in 6 qts. boiling water for 5-7 minutes or
   until tender; drain, wipe noodles dry with a clean/dry
   cloth, lay flat on waxed paper.
   
   While noodles are cooking, melt butter and olive oil
   in a large skillet. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms
   until they're tender; add remove from heat; set aside.
   
   Place cooked chicken in food processor and pulse until
   chicken resembles a tuna salad mixture. 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.
   
   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.
   
   Arrange rolls next to each other, one layer deep, in a
   buttered baking dish; set aside while you prepare the
   cheese sauce.
   
   CHEESE SAUCE: Melt butter then add the flour and cook
   for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste.
   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.
   
   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.
   
   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.
   
   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.
  
 
 
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