Leftover chicken cannelloni, this is another recipe from Jamie Olivers Money Saving Meals book. Using leftover roast chicken from your Sunday dinner this is one my my faves.

It is a very fiddly thing to make so I would set aside plenty of time to put it together. This will take you around 1 hour – 1 hours 30 minutes to prepare and a further 30 minutes to cook. I left chilli flakes out as my little girl isn’t a fan of spicy food.

Ingredients

• 150g leftover chicken (cooked) finely chopped
• 500g frozen spinach
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1tbsp oil
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 200ml semi skimmed milk
• 1/2 bunch of basil (I used 15g of ready chopped frozen basil)
• 60g grated mature cheese
• 16 cannelloni tubes
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped or crushed
• salt and pepper to season
• Chilli flakes (optional)

Method

1. Soften the onion in a little oil. Add the spinach, then pop the lid on and let it defrost for around 10 minutes. Add in the flour, stir to combine. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until you have a creamy sauce. Add the chicken, half the basil and 30g of cheese. Stir well to combine.
2. Fill the cannelloni tubes with the spinach mixture. You can use a teaspoon to do this or a piping bag. I used a sandwich bag with the corner cut off instead. This is the fiddly part but totally worth the hassle in my opinion! Layer your tubes in a large baking dish.
3. Cook the garlic and the other half of the basil in a little oil. Add in the chilli flakes if using. Then add in the chopped tomatoes and half a cans worth of water. Bring to the boil for a couple of minutes. Season, then pour over your cannelloni tubes. Make sure the tomato sauce is distributed evenly and grate over the remaining cheese. Bake for around 30 minutes until golden and pasta is cooked.