Chicken Alfredo Manicotti

Ingredients:

Alfredo sauce

• 6 thick strips bacon, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 leek (about 280 g), white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2.5 cups low-fat cream (10%)
• 0.5 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan
• A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Juice of half a lemon
• 110 g of cream cheese, room temperature
• 0.5 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped, plus extra for serving

Filling

• 1 package (280g) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out of water
• 2.5 cups ricotta (about 450 g)
• 1 tbsp. gil chickens, diced
• 3/4 cup of grated Italian cheese mix (Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella)
• A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Juice of half a lemon
• Special equipment: a large disposable pastry bag or zip-lock bag

Paste

• 1 package (220 g) manicotti
• 0.5 cups of grated Italian cheese mix

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. Alfredo sauce:
   
   In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
   
   Add the garlic and leek to the skillet with the remaining rendered fat and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, Parmesan, red pepper, and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Add the cream cheese and cook until the sauce thickens and the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Filling:
   
   In a large bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, chicken, grated cheese, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag (or zip-lock bag) and snip off a small corner.
4. Paste:
   
   Spoon 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch ovenproof (not glass) baking dish and spread it out. Pipe the filling into each end of the uncooked manicotti tubes to completely fill them, and arrange them in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce, fried bacon, and grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the pasta is cooked through, 30-40 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Turn the oven to broil. Grill the surface of the casserole until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.