Chicken Cannelloni With Cheese Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

FILLING
1 3/4 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 lb lasagna noodle
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream or 2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bunch spinach, cooked until
CHEESE SAUCE
3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups half-and-half
salt and pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (optional)
spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought) (optional)

Preparation

THE NIGHT BEFORE (or early in the day): Cook lasagna noodles in 6 quarts boiling water for 5-7 minutes or until tender; drain, wipe noodles dry with a clean/dry cloth, lay flat on waxed paper.
While noodles are cooking, melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet.
Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until they're tender; add remove from heat; set aside.
Place cooked chicken in food processor and pulse until chicken resembles a tuna salad mixture.
Combine chicken with the onions, garlic, mushrooms and the fat in which they were sauteed; add egg, cream and seasonings. Add spinach (cooked) and mix well.
Cut each lasagna noodle into 2 or 3 pieces-each piece should be 3 to 4 inches long; place a tablespoonful of the chicken filling on each piece and roll into a tubular shape. If you don't want to make canneloni, just layer the ingredients like you would for lasagna.
Arrange rolls next to each other, one layer deep, in a buttered baking dish; set aside while you prepare the cheese sauce.
CHEESE SAUCE: Melt butter then add the flour and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste.
Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps; add cream, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth; remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.
I like to use, both, red and white sauce on this one. I spoon over a strip of the white sauce, next to it I spoon on some red; keep doing that across the dish until the sauce covers the noodles. The red/white pattern makes it look pretty and gives the dish a little more flavor. It also cuts back on some of the fat.
Spoon sauce over cannelloni in baking dish; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese, if used; refrigerate until you're ready to bake it.
BEFORE SERVING: Preheat broiler; place cannelloni 4-5 inches from heat and broil for 10 minutes or until sauce bubbles and top browns. If you'll be making lasagna, bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the top is browned a bit.