Description
Creamy ricotta spinach and chicken cannelloni brings Italian comfort to your dinner table. Delicate pasta rolls stuffed with tender chicken, rich ricotta, and fresh spinach create a luxurious meal you’ll savor with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped
- 1 bag (8–10 ounces/226–283 grams) baby spinach
- 12 cannelloni tubes
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup pasta sauce
Dairy and Liquid Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups (360 milliliters) half & half
- 0.5 cup (120 milliliters) milk
- 0.25 cup (25 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
Herbs, Spices, and Aromatics:
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.5 teaspoon dried basil
- 0.25 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.125 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil
Instructions
- Submerge cannelloni pasta tubes in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened, then carefully drain and spread on a clean kitchen towel to cool and prevent sticking.
- Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C) and position a rack in the center for even cooking.
- In a large skillet, sauté finely chopped onions and minced garlic until translucent, then add diced chicken breast and cook until golden brown and fully cooked through.
- Reduce heat and gently fold in whole milk, ricotta cheese, chopped fresh spinach, salt, and black pepper, stirring until ingredients are well combined and spinach wilts.
- Allow the chicken and spinach mixture to cool for 10 minutes, ensuring it’s not too hot to handle.
- Carefully fill each cooled cannelloni tube with the prepared mixture, creating a generous but neat filling.
- Arrange stuffed cannelloni tubes in a greased 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 centimeter) baking dish, covering the bottom with a layer of marinara or tomato pasta sauce.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, grated Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Pour the cream mixture evenly over the cannelloni, ensuring complete coverage.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the top is golden and sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 3-4 minutes to allow sauce to set and cool slightly.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve warm directly from the baking dish.
Notes
- Perfectly time your pasta cooking to avoid overcooking, which can lead to mushy tubes.
- Cooling the chicken mixture prevents burning delicate pasta and helps ingredients bind smoothly.
- Layer extra Parmesan cheese between cannelloni for unexpected bursts of savory flavor.
- Freeze unbaked cannelloni for up to one month, wrapped tightly in plastic and foil for convenient meal prep.
- Check internal temperature reaches 165°F to ensure chicken is safely cooked through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 600 kcal
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 950mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 120mg