Prep Time 20min Cook Time 50min
Cannelloni is a lovely stuffed pasta dish very popular in Italian cuisine. Usually pasta sheets or cannelloni shells are used. Both are hard to find where I live, so I improvised and used egg roll wrappers, which are also far easier to stuff and roll than cooked pasta shells.
by Anne Coleman
What you'll need
- 12 egg roll wrappers 5" squares*
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound cooked chicken breast, finely chopped
- 1 cup finely chredded fontina cheese
- 1- 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce
Helpful Tip:
Liquid needs to be exact with egg roll wrappers. Too much liquid will cause them to fall apart and too little will cause the edges to be dry and crisp. Spinach can be added once it is cooked and drained very well - about a cup for this size recipe should do it. I used 50% fat free Alfredo sauce, fat free ricotta cheese and 2 egg whites instead of 1 whole egg to help cut back on the fat in this recipe.
Notes:
Yields 12 cannellonis
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk together well. Fold in chicken and 1/2 cup of Fontina cheese. Set filling aside.
- Grease a 9x13 baking pan with olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce across the bottom of the pan.
- Lay out an egg roll wrapper and keep the rest covered with a damp towel so they won't dry out.
- Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in the center of the wrapper and roll wrapper tightly around it. The rolls should be about an inch and a half in diameter.
- Lay, seam side down, in pan on top of sauce. Top rolls with sauce, covering each completely. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of Fontina over the cannelloni.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
