Recipe: Chicken Cannelloni with Alfredo Sauce and Crock Pot Marinara Sauce

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-07-11
From: recipelink.com

Chicken Cannelloni with Alfredo Sauce and Crock Pot Marinara Sauce
From: JCole87870
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Date: 10-26-95

Serves 8

Start early in the day or night before.

Marinara Sauce (crock pot)

1 large can of chopped tomatoes
2 mid-size cans of tomato sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 sauteed chopped green pepper
1 sauteed chopped onion
1/2 sauteed clove of minced garlic
1/2 tbsp basil
1/2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil

Saute finely chopped onion, green pepper, and mushrooms with minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until all constituents are softened over medium heat. In crock pot, combine above ingredients with remaining ingredients (do not drain fluid from canned tomatoes) and cook on low heat for at least 8 hours. Stir every few hours.

Filling:
4 large chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs
1/2 clove of minced garlic
1/2 tbsp of basil
2 eggs, beaten
2 (15 oz) containers of ricotta cheese
3 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 cup Alfredo sauce (recipe below)
1 cup lightly sauteed (in olive oil) chopped mushrooms

2 boxes of manicotti tubes

grated mozzarella (for topping)

Set skinned chicken in water that just covers all pieces. Add garlic and basil and boil for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix beaten eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses with and 1 cup Alfredo Sauce*.

Drain broth from and run cold water over chicken in strainer. Chop deboned chicken into small pieces which will be easy to fill manicotti tubes. Mix chicken together with the sauteed mushrooms and cheese mixture until homogenized (well combined).

Boil 1 box manicotti pasta for five minutes in boiling water. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Immediately remove all pasta and separate them so they do not stick together. Use cake icing decorator (they are very handy) or long skinny teaspoon to fill manicotti tubes with the chicken mixture. When you are nearly finished filling cooked pasta, boil and fill second box of pasta as before.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place cannelloni in casserole dishes and cover with Marinara sauce. If you are preparing well in advance you may refrigerate overnight.

Bake for total of 40 minutes covered with aluminum foil. At 30 minutes, remove aluminum foil and cover cannelloni with layer of grated mozzarella cheese. Cook for ten more minutes uncovered. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Serving suggestions: You may want to make 2 extra cups of Alfredo sauce to be poured over cannelloni. Also have fresh grated Parmesan on hand. Serve with fresh French bread after a good oil and red vinegar salad. A good Chianti washes it all down.

Alfredo Sauce (makes 1 cup)

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
dash white pepper (optional)
1 cup 2 percent milk
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour (1 tbsp at a time), salt, and white pepper. Add milk and Parmesan cheese all at once. Cook quickly and stir frequently till mixture thickens and bubbles.