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Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

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This deep dish Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It’s a bit of time to put together but worth every single bite. Classic comfort food!

Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni IMAGE
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

Do you cook pasta often? I got to say it’s staple in our house and every single week some kind of pasta dish goes on the dinner table.

At our place, Monday is pasta night and everyone looks forward to it. I usually serve pasta with garlic bread, Garlic Knots or Garlic Fingers. Because it’s good!

And if you’re looking for more pasta inspiration, there’s a whole section devoted to Pasta & Pizza!

Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni IMAGE
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

Ingredients

  • 20 cannelloni sheets or tubes
  • 4 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 bag fresh spinach 8 oz/200 grams
  • 1/2 lb chicken breast cut into small pieces or into ground chicken
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • small bunch of fresh chopped basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the bechamel sauce:

  • 2 Cups milk
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 Cups Gouda cheese grated
  • 1/3 Cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Small bunch of fresh chopped parsley

REMEMBER, The full recipe and ingredient list is located at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni IMAGE
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium to high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute until it becomes fragrant.
  2. Increase heat to high and add the chicken. Give a really good stir and brown the chicken for about 5 – 8 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until it’s wilted.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium low and pour the marinara sauce (reserve 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce for later) into the chicken and spinach mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fresh basil and remove from heat
  4. In a medium saucepan set over medium to high heat, melt butter until sizzling. Whisk in flour until you have a paste. Gradually start whisking in your milk. Continue doing this until you have added all the milk and you have a slightly thickened sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and add most of the cheese, both kinds, reserving a little for the top. Stir really well until all the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Stir and remove from heat.
  5. Spoon the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and spread out evenly.
  6. Put the chicken and spinach mixture into a large piping bag. Pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Repeat until all the tubes are filled. Place all the filled tubes into the baking dish. Evenly pour over sauce and top with remaining cheese.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for around 30 – 35 minutes. Remove from over and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni IMAGE
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

Notes About The CAnnelloni

  • Make aheadThis can be made before hand and refrigerated hours before cooking. 
  • Filling cannelloni tubes – The best way to fill cannelloni tubes is to put the filling into a piping bag. Simply hold the cannelloni tube and pipe in the filling.
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni IMAGE
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni


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Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

This deep dish Chicken and Spinach Cannelloni is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It's a bit of time to put together but worth every single bite. Classic comfort food!
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chicken, Pasta, spinach
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 597kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

  • 20 cannelloni sheets or tubes
  • 4 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 bag fresh spinach 8 oz/200 grams
  • 1/2 lb chicken breast cut into small pieces or into ground chicken
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • small bunch of fresh chopped basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the bechamel sauce:

  • 2 Cups milk
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 Cups Gouda cheese grated
  • 1/3 Cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Small bunch of fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium to high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute until it becomes fragrant.
  • Increase heat to high and add the chicken. Give a really good stir and brown the chicken for about 5 – 8 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until it's wilted.
  • Reduce the heat to medium low and pour the marinara sauce (reserve 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce for later) into the chicken and spinach mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fresh basil and remove from heat
  • In a medium saucepan set over medium to high heat, melt butter until sizzling. Whisk in flour until you have a paste. Gradually start whisking in your milk. Continue doing this until you have added all the milk and you have a slightly thickened sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and add most of the cheese, both kinds, reserving a little for the top. Stir really well until all the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Stir and remove from heat.
  • Spoon the remaining 1/2 cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and spread out evenly.
  • Put the chicken and spinach mixture into a large piping bag. Pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Repeat until all the tubes are filled. Place all the filled tubes into the baking dish. Evenly pour over sauce and top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for around 30 – 35 minutes. Remove from over and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Nutrition Facts
Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 597 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 107mg36%
Sodium 566mg25%
Potassium 586mg17%
Carbohydrates 61g20%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 36g72%
Vitamin A 1050IU21%
Vitamin C 33mg40%
Calcium 456mg46%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!

By on March 5th, 2018
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