Chicken Margherita Cannelloni

Chicken Margherita Cannelloni

Our family loves a good baked pasta dish and this is one of our favorites, not just because of all that delicious cheesy goodness on top but because this one is so simple to make and relies on only a few simple ingredients for the bright, fresh classic Margherita flavor combination of tomato, basil and mozzarella. No canned tomatoes here, the simple sauce is made from from fresh tomatoes and garlic quickly sauteed together in a pan.

The chicken is also quickly stir fried then mixed with some rich ricotta cheese and basil to create the filling for the cannelloni. We like to roll up lasagna sheets rather than stuff cannelloni tubes because it's much faster and easier but you can use the pasta tubes if you prefer.

Makes about 8 cannelloni.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 8 large ripe tomatoes diced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp crushed chili sauce or chili flakes
• salt and pepper to season

Saute the garlic in the oil over medium heat for just a minute before adding the tomatoes, brown sugar, chili sauce, salt, pepper. Continue to cook until the tomatoes soften and the compote reduces to a jam-like consistency. Add the balsamic vinegar in the final minute or two of cooking before serving.

Cannelloni Filling

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced large
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• salt and pepper to season
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

Stir fry the chicken and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Do not over cook, remember, the chicken will be going back into the oven. If you overcook it at this stage it will be very dry after being baked. Set aside to cool for 10 or 15 minutes then add the basil, ricotta and parmesan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To put together the cannelloni you will need:

• 8 fresh lasagna sheets
• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese grated
• about a dozen basil leaves

If your lasagna sheets are very large you can cut them in half. sheets about 6x6 inches is about right but you can make almost any size work. If the sheets are too stiff, just soak them in warm water for a few minutes until they soften sufficiently to roll.

You will need about a 8x 12 inch glass baking dish. Spoon a thin layer of the sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.

Spoon the filling along one edge of the lasagna sheet and roll up. Place the cannelloni in the pan and cover with the remaining sauce, a layer of basil leaves and then sprinkle on the grated mozzarella evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted and begins to brown.