Chicken and Spinach Manicotti with Light Swiss

We’re all looking for delicious recipes for comfort foods to feed to our families on cold winter nights. The chefs at Findlandia cheese created this enticing dish with that in mind. It’ll surely please the “pasta-terians” in the house.

The nice thing about this dish is your combining a lean protein like chicken and part-skim ricotta plus using skim milk and light Swiss cheese to lower the fat content on this very rich dish. It’s also a great way to sneak some spinach into your kids’ diet.

Check out the Finlandia website for a $1 off coupon and for more delicious recipes.

Chicken and Spinach Manicotti with Light Swiss

Ingredients:

• 12 manicotti shells
• 1 (8 oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 6 oz. Finlandia Light Swiss, shredded
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups frozen chopped spinach, drained
• 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken
• Bechamel Sauce (see recipe below)

Directions:

1. Cook manicotti shells as directed, remove before completely soft. Drain and rinse with cool water.
2. Combine ricotta cheese, Finlandia Light Swiss, milk and Parmesan until smooth. Add chicken and spinach to mixture.
3. Stuff manicotti. Place side by side in a baking dish.
4. Pour Bechamel sauce over manicotti. Bake at 350 for 26 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 small bay leaf
• Dash dried leaf thyme, crumbled
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter starts to foam, add the flour all at once, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Cook over
   low heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate and cook flour.Remove pan from heat and let stand, up to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium
   saucepan, scald milk (heating it until just below boiling point).
2. Return saucepan with roux to medium-low heat. Add all of the scalded milk at once (to avoid the formation of lumps). Simmer. Stirring gently with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Add bay leaf and thyme sprig. Cook, stirring, over low heat, 15 to 20 minutes, until smooth and thickened.
3. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer. Add salt, white pepper and nutmeg to taste. Makes about 2 cups.

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Managing Editor of Mom Central Food. You can also find her cooking up some healthy recipes at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet.

Anne-Marie Nichols