Pumpkin and Chicken Cannelloni

By Texaschef11

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 700ml bottle Italian tomato pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, shredded
• 450 g chicken mince
• 1 cup mashed pumpkin, cooled
• 250 g ricotta cheese
• 4 slices pancetta, chopped
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 250 g packet dried cannelloni tubes
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• salad leaves, to serve

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in pasta sauce and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 5cm deep, 25cm x 30cm (base) ovenproof baking dish. Or 4 ramekins for individual serving.

Place mince, pumpkin, ricotta, pancetta and 1/3 cup parmesan in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle. Pipe mixture into cannelloni tubes. If using ramekins, precook cannelloni tubes in boiling water for 5 minutes, then cut them on half.

Spoon a third of tomato sauce into dish. Top with cannelloni. Spoon over remaining sauce. Combine mozzarella and remaining 1/3 cup parmesan. Sprinkle over top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until top is golden and pasta tender. Serve with salad leaves.