Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni

I am always looking for meals that can easily be turned into homemade frozen dinners.  I’ll often spend an entire day of the weekend in the kitchen preparing meals and lunches for the coming week or two.  We love being able to just pull a meal out of the freezer and head to work.  The benefits to this are; we spend less money on eating out, we save time, and more importantly, we know exactly what we are getting!  So many frozen meals are loaded with sodium and other nasty ingredients, homemade meals are whatever you decide to put into them.

This Cannelloni is delicious fresh out of the oven, but it freezes beautifully.  Take this to work and heat it in the microwave and you will likely have to fight your co-workers off with a stick.  It makes the office smell like an Italian restaurant.  My husband’s co-workers are always telling him he has to quit bringing such yummy lunches unless he brings enough to share.

This cannelloni is loaded with chicken, cheese, and spinach and rolled in fresh pasta then smothered in your own homemade sauce.  It is perfect on it’s own or served with a fresh salad.

I hope you enjoy!

Cannelloni

500 g Ricotta Cheese (1 container)

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp pepper

1 egg

7 fresh Lasagna Sheets, cut in half to make 14 Cannelloni wrappers.

3 Cups Shredded Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, mixed etc)

Sauce

1.5 cups diced onion

1 large red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp Salt

1100 ml, no salt tomato sauce, approx  ( I use 1 large can -680 ml – and 1 regular size can – 398 ml)

Start by preparing the sauce.  In a large sauce pan add the olive oil and heat on medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, peppers and spices and saute just until the onions are starting to turn translucent.  Add the tomato sauce,  cover and reduce heat to medium-low.

As the sauce is heating, begin preparing the filling.    Place all the remaining ingredients, except for the lasagna sheets and shredded cheese, in a large bowl and mix well.

Next you will need to cut your lasagna sheets in half to make 14 Cannelloni wrappers.

(Like this) 

Pour 2 cups of your sauce into an 11×14 pan, and begin filling the cannelloni.

To fill your cannelloni, place approx 1/3 of a cup filling on one of the short ends of the wrapper, then roll it up.  Place filled cannelloni seam side down in the pan, forming 2 rows.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the cannelloni and then top with 3 cups of shredded cheese.

.(before it goes in the oven)

Bake at 425 degrees for approx 25 min. or until the pasta is tender and the cheese is bubbling.

Some additional tips & ideas for this recipe:

• Use leftover chicken, or a store bought rotisserie chicken to save time (great way to use leftovers)
• Use up whatever cheese you have on hand.  No matter what I’ve used, this turns out great
• If you are freezing this for lunches, let the pan cool, then place in reusable plastic containers.  This keeps well in the freezer for about a month.
• The lasagna sheets make this recipe really easy.  However, large, cooked pasta shells also work.
• If you are not using salt-free tomato sauce, do not add salt.

Hope you enjoy this delicious, healthy meal.  What do you like to take for lunch that is healthy, delicious, and quick?