Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Chicken and cheese stuffed Cannelloni


We love Italian food! It’s a cuisine that always ensures empty plates and full tummies. Whether it is a thick Italian style soup or a light pasta dish we love it all. If you love lasagna, you will probably love this dish too. I will say up front that this dish is fiddly, stuffing the shells will take you about 15 - 20 minutes (do that while the sauced is simmering to save you time).

My Napoli sauce can be used for other dishes too, but does need to simmer longer if you aren’t plan on using it for a dish that goes in the oven and gets baked. For a full bodied flavour it needs an hour simmering time.

This recipe came about simply because chicken mince was on sale. I am a huge advocate for buying and using what’s on sale and in season. It’s a great way to save you hundreds of dollars over the course of a year with no effort. A big plus in my family budget book! You will need about 30 Cannelloni shells for this dish (about 1 1/5 boxes).

A word about cannelloni shells, I don’t use shells that have ridges, they are too hard to stuff and always end up breaking while filling. I use Barilla brand, the without ridges and the pasta is slightly thicker than other brands (making them easier to fill).

Filling recipe:

2 cups grated cheese (mild cheese or similar)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated or dried)
1 kilo chicken mince
1 garlic clove, minced
30 Barilla cannelloni shells
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (to be baked on top top - not go in the shells)

Napoli recipe:

2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 x 800g tin crushed tomatoes
1 cup water (used to rinse out the tins and passata bottle)
1 x 700 ml bottle passata
1 teaspoon each of dried basil and dried oregano
1 bacon stock cube
1 teaspoon sugar

In a large heavy based sauce pan heat the oil (over a medium/high heat) and add the onions, fry until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook until onions are translucent (about 2-4 minutes).
Add the tinned tomatoes and passata. Use 1 cup of water to get all the bits from the bottom of the tins and the bottle. Add the water to the pan.
Add the herbs, stock cube and sugar. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 - 30 minutes (while you prepare the filling and stuff the shells).
In a large bowl place the minced chicken, cheeses and garlic. Mix well and fill each shell.
Place into a large greased, lasagna dish and top with grated mozzarella cheese.
When all the shells are filled, carefully pour the hot napoli sauce on top and bake at 180oC for 50 minutes.

Let rest 10 minutes before serving (use this time to set the table and wash the kids hands).

Happy cooking!
Elizabeth x

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