Pancake cannelloni lasagne is a baked ground chicken dish where thin savory pancakes replace pasta sheets — you roll them around a herbed chicken bolognese, line them up in a baking dish, and pour a Parmesan-mustard cheese sauce over the top. It is genuinely good and it sidesteps the need to boil pasta. If you have ground chicken and a few pantry staples, this comes together without a special trip to the store.
About the ingredients
- Ground chicken: Thigh mince stays moister through the bake than breast mince. Either works, but thigh is more forgiving if your sauce is on the thicker side.
- Mustard powder: It goes into the cheese sauce, not the filling. Dry mustard powder is not the same heat as prepared mustard — do not substitute one-for-one. A quarter teaspoon of prepared Dijon is a workable swap if that is all you have.
- Parmesan: Pre-grated tub Parmesan melts unevenly in a roux-based sauce. Block Parmesan grated fresh gives a smoother result.
- Cheddar topping: Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish. The Parmesan in the sauce already browns well on top.
The short version of why this works
Two things carry this dish. First, the chicken bolognese needs to be thick before it goes into the pancakes — if it is still loose and saucy, the pancakes will tear when you roll them and the filling will run out during baking. Simmer it until a spoon dragged through the pan leaves a clear line. Second, the cheese sauce has to be poured generously enough to fill the gaps between the rolled pancakes; those gaps are where the sauce pools and sets into the richest part of the bake. Skim on the sauce and the edges dry out.
If something goes sideways
- Pancakes tearing when you roll them: They are probably too hot. Let them cool for two or three minutes after coming off the pan — warm but not steaming is the right point to roll.
- Filling leaking out during baking: The bolognese was too wet going in. Press the open ends of the rolls lightly into the sauce in the dish; the sauce acts as a seal.
- Cheese sauce going lumpy: The milk was added too fast or too cold. If it lumps, take the pan off the heat and whisk hard — most lumps will smooth out. If not, push it through a sieve before pouring.
- Top browning before the center is hot: Lay a sheet of foil loosely over the dish for the first two-thirds of the bake time, then remove it to let the top color.
- Ground chicken not reaching safe temperature: Ground poultry must reach 165°F (74°C) at the center. If the top looks done but the middle is still cool, cover with foil and give it another 10 minutes rather than raising the oven temperature.
Make-ahead notes
The chicken bolognese filling keeps in the fridge for up to three days, tightly covered. Assembled but unbaked rolls can be refrigerated overnight — add the cheese sauce just before baking, not ahead of time, or it will be absorbed into the pancakes and the top will not set properly. Fully baked leftovers reheat well: cover the dish with foil and warm at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes, or microwave individual portions on medium power to avoid the sauce splitting. The baked dish freezes for up to two months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating rather than going straight from frozen to oven.
Oozing Pancake Cannelloni Lasagne
Ingredients
Mince Ingredients
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1 pinch basil
1 pinch oregano
1 teaspoon chicken stock (chicken broth or chicken bouillon)
½ teaspoon sugar
2 cups ground chicken (minced chicken)
1 tin tomatoes - chopped
Pancake Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour (plain flour Australia and UK)
1 medium egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
Cheese Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
1 tablespoon cornflour - or plain flour, although cornflour is better- 1 tablespoon butter - melted
1 teaspoon Mustard powder
1 pinch salt
⅓ cup cheddar cheese - for the topping
Instructions
Bolognese Instructions
- Chop and fry the onion. Add the crushed garlic, herbs, stock, and sugar once it’s cooked.
- Add the minced chicken, and fry until it’s cooked.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stir through.
- Set aside to cool.
Pancakes Instructions
- Add the flour in a bowl and mix in the egg. It should be very sticky and crumbly.
- Gradually pour in the milk bit by bit, stirring well, until the mixture is smooth and runny.
- Put a blob (yes, a blob) of butter in the pan, and wait for it to melt.
- Take a ladle (or a big-ass spoon), and put a spoon of the mixture in the pan, making sure it’s nice and round.
- When tiny bubbles appear in the mixture, flip it over with an egg slice (or the frying pan itself if you’re that kind of chef), and cook the other side.
- Put pancake on a plate, and repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Cheese Sauce Instructions
- Grate a ton of cheese.
- Melt your butter in a saucepan, then add in the flour, salt and mustard to mix. Add the milk.
- Stir continuously for a while.
- You want to avoid it getting lumpy; although it will be at the start, it will become smoother.
- When the sauce starts to thicken up, and you’re stirring a lot more, put it aside.
Assembly Instructions
- Take a pancake put it in the baking pan.
- Spoon bolognese into it, and attempt to roll it. When that doesn’t work, fold it over, laying it on its side so that it’s kind of held together.
- Repeat the method with the rest of the pancakes until the pan is full.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pancakes, getting as even a coating as you can.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
- Bake in the oven until the cheese on top is bubbling and turning brown.
- Take out, and attempt to serve without it all falling apart again.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I use regular lasagne sheets instead of pancakes?
Yes, standard dried lasagne sheets work here. Cook them according to the packet before assembling, since the bake time is not long enough to hydrate dried pasta from raw.
Can I swap the ground chicken for beef or pork?
Ground beef or pork both work well in the bolognese filling. Cook beef and pork mince to 160°F (71°C) internal temperature — slightly lower than the 165°F required for poultry, so the bake time may be a minute or two shorter.
My cheese sauce is very thick — how much should I thin it before pouring?
It should pour slowly but steadily off a spoon, similar to a thick gravy. Whisk in warm milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches that consistency — a sauce that is too thick will not flow between the rolls and the dish will bake unevenly.
More mince recipes to try
- Beef Ricotta Lasagna Rolls
- Savory Beef Herb Pancakes
- Chicken Macadamia Sausage Rolls
- Ultimate Cheesy Beef Bake
