Chicken Cannelloni

 One of my all time, favorite Italian dishes is Cannelloni, filled in a variety of ways, and topped with an appropriate complement for whatever the filling happens to be.  This past Sunday we had roast chicken, so a stuffing of chicken and some cheese was a great way to use the left-overs.

Also, using the extra crepes from Sunday's breakfast made it an even more obvious choice.  Though, I must admit, it was one of the reasons I did make those crepes.  My very favorite breakfast, fruit-filled crepes.  Yes!

If using cold crepes, put them on a plate, with a bit of waxed paper on top, and nuke for less than half a minute, just enough to warm them up a bit.  Next  fill with chopped, cooked chicken, mixed with some cream cheese or sour cream,  and a little shredded cheese or ricotta.  Then top it all with your marinara sauce.  Bake about 15 minutes and that's it.

Chicken Cannelloni

2-3 Servings

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 cup sour cream or cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, crumbled feta, ricotta or jack cheese (I used Ricotta Salata)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
9-10 crepes
1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Prepare your "red sauce" first and keep it warm.  Then pre-heat oven to 350 F, warm the crepes, unless you are making them specifically for this dish. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the chopped chicken with the remaining filling ingredients.

Spread a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish, and begin filling and rolling your cannelloni (you can also make cannelloni noodles and use those) with about a 1/4 cup of stuffing in each.  Top with remaining sauce, and bake for about 15 minutes.  Pull the pan out and sprinkle the topping cheese on, then serve.  I steamed a kohlrabi and its greens for a side, but some garlic bread and a small salad would be great too.

This delicious, if I do say so, dish is my contribution for our potluck Presto Pasta Nights dinner, hosted this week by our own indefatigable founder, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.  Check out the round-up for creative pasta dinner ideas.