Ingredients
4 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lbs Swiss chard (about 2 large bunches or 16 leaves), stemmed, chopped into 1″ pieces
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 sheets of fresh pasta (or substitute dried cannelloni shells or crepe shells)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup half and half
Preparation
To make filling, cook bacon in large heavy skillet over medium high heat until crispy. Drain bacon on paper towels and reserve. Reduce heat to medium and saute onion and garlic in bacon drippings until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chard and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to large bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Mix in ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut pasta sheets until 4-5″ wide sections. Apply about 1/4 cup of filling lengthwise down the center of each pasta section, roll up with slight overlap at edges, and place into oiled baking dish, seam side down. Repeat until pasta and filling are gone. Note: If using dried cannelloni shells, they will need to be pre-cooked and cooled slightly. Then, the filling can be inserted with a pastry bag or plastic bag with a hole cut at one corner.
To make sauce, deglaze skillet with stock over medium heat. Add half and half and bring to a simmer. Pour this mixture over stuffed cannelloni. Sprinkle with crushed black pepper, walnuts, crumbled bacon, reserved Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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