Gluten Free Cannelloni or Manicotti Shells (Homemade or Store-Bought)

While traditionally, cannelloni is made with sheets of pasta, you can use gluten free manicotti pasta shells just as easily. I’ve provided below, both the link to my recipe for cannelloni sheets and a well-known brand.

You’ll find that manicotti shells have ridges while the homemade pasta sheets do not. I used my gluten-free egg noodle recipe, which everyone raves about. This homemade pasta has a wonderful texture, but more importantly, it holds up even upon reheating, even in soup, without getting mushy.

If you are short on time and prefer to use store-bought manicotti shells, Jovial Foods makes one that works perfectly! I suggest making just enough to serve that day when using Jovial brown rice manicotti shells. They’re perfect the day you make them but get just a little mushy the following day.  If you add additional sauce before reheating, you won’t notice.

Gluten Free Cannelloni or Manicotti Shells (Homemade or Store-Bought)

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: Makes approximately sixteen 4 to 5-inch shells, 1-1/4-inch in diameter.

Gluten Free Cannelloni or Manicotti Shells (Homemade or Store-Bought)

A delightful Italian dish, gluten free cannelloni or manicotti. Either way, fill them with chicken and cheese or three cheeses. Then top with your favorite sauce and a little more cheese. Perfecto!

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/3 recipe Gluten Free Egg Noodles (or 1 box Jovial Manicotti Shells - 16 per box)
  • For Cheese Filling:
  • 16 ounce tub of 4% fat gluten-free ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
  • 2-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Kraft canister
  • 1 large egg
  • Handful of defrosted frozen spinach, squeezed dry, broccolini, or your favorite minced herbs (basil is wonderful!)
  • Your favorite gluten-free sauce (Alfredo, marinara, etc.)
  • For the Chicken and Cheese Filling:
  • 1 recipe Gluten Free Chicken and Cheese Canneloni
  • Your favorite gluten-free sauce:
  • Marinara Sauce
  • Meat Sauce
  • Cream Sauce

Instructions:

    To Make the Gluten Free Chicken Canneloni:
  1. If using homemade pasta, make the egg pasta recipe according to instructions at the above link. Roll out using a pasta machine (or by hand, which takes a lot of muscle). See the instructions for settings to use on a machine. Cut the pasta according to the instructions. Fill them as you desire. The best part is that you do not have to cook the pasta before stuffing them if making my chicken cannelloni recipe. The best part is that you do not have to cook the pasta before stuffing them if making my cannelloni chicken recipe.
  2. If using manicotti shells, boil them in plenty of water for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Do not stack the shells in a colander as the ones on the bottom may break. So, drain half, rinse, set aside, and repeat.
  3. Fill the sheets in the center of the filling and roll, or place the filling in a quart-size ziplock bag and close. Snip off one of the corners to make a 1/2-inch in diameter hole (so about 1/4-inch snip). Pipe the filling into both sides of each of the manicotti shells.
  4. To Make Cheese Cannelloni or Manicotti:
  5. Combine the ricotta or cottage cheese with Parmesan and mozzarella. in a heat-proof bowl. Add spinach or your favorite herbs and stir. Microwave for 1 minute, just enough to slightly melt the cheese a tiny bit. Set aside.
  6. Make the pasta dough as instructed or parboil the manicotti shells as instructed in the above step number 2.
  7. Just prior to filling, stir the egg into the filling. Fill as instructed in the above step number 3. Top with your choice of gluten-free sauce (creamy as instructed in cannelloni recipe, meat sauce, or marinara. Top with a little shredded mozzarella
  8. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese melts and filling is warm.

 

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