Easy Vegan Manicotti with Cheesy Tofu Ricotta

This simple Easy Vegan Manicotti with Cheesy Tofu Ricotta is super cozy and delicious. This veganized classic is comfort food at its best and great for the whole family!

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Hey Internet, this vegan manicotti with tofu ricotta is honestly one of my favorites. It might seem like a pain to stuff the manicotti shells, but I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve that make it a breeze.

I don't know about you, but in our family we LOVE vegan baked pasta dishes! Some of our favorites include our Vegan Stuffed Shells, Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese, Vegan Baked Ziti, Vegan Baked Feta Pasta, and our Vegan Pasta Bake which includes some vegan meat so it's super hearty.

This vegan manicotti is also an epic baked pasta dish but it has something really cool going for it that these other ones don't have... you don't have to boil the pasta! Yep, you can stuff the dried manicotti noodles straight from the package. We cover it in sauce and vegan cheese (I use more dollops of the tofu ricotta but you are totally welcome to throw on some vegan mozzarella shreds if you'd like) and then cover the pan (to keep the steam in) while baking and it not only cooks the pasta, but it infuses the flavors of the dish directly into the noodles! It's SO GOOD.

It can be challenging to fill the manicotti tubes if you're just using a small spoon, but honestly it's so much faster to use a pastry bag (or a food storage bag with the corner of the bag cut off). It may seem intimidating, but you don't need to be a pastry chef to pipe some tofu ricotta into some pasta tubes!

This vegan manicotti recipe, sort of like a cylindrical lasagna, is easy to make and is the perfect main dish to serve with Vegan Garlic Bread or Vegan Focaccia, plus maybe a Vegan Italian Salad or other side dish.

Once you taste the tender noodles with creamy ricotta filling (our tofu ricotta is an excellent substitute for traditional ricotta cheese), you'll be hooked on this delicious recipe. Top it with some fresh basil and even a sprinkle of grated vegan parmesan cheese (or try my quick Vegan Parmesan Topping made with nutritional yeast and just a couple other ingredients) and you'll have an incredible dish to serve to your family or guests.

Why You'll Love This Easy Vegan Manicotti Recipe

• Simple Ingredients: You only need a few ingredients to make this recipe and if you're making the creamy vegan ricotta cheese too, it doesn't require many ingredients either.
• The Entire Family Will Love It: Vegan manicotti is such a cool twist on your average pasta dish, and the shape of the pasta makes it more fun to eat (especially for kids, but we "adults" like it too!). Plus, the homemade tofu ricotta is healthy and wholesome, and you can pick whichever marinara you like the best. If your family likes cheesy pasta, they'll love this vegan version of classic manicotti.
• Feels Fancy: This is the perfect dish to serve at dinner parties because it feels so fancy! Forget vegan lasagna (well don't, it's delicious, but this is fun too), these creamy ricotta stuffed manicotti shells are an amazing main dish for any occasion.

Ingredients

Pick up these simple ingredients the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

For the Vegan Manicotti

• 14 Ounces Dry Manicotti Shells: We've been able to find manicotti pasta shells at most supermarkets. Sometimes I've seen cannelloni noodles, which are very similar.
• 24 Ounces Marinara of Choice: Note that if your pasta sauce is lower fat, the recipe may turn out a little drier. We add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the inexpensive marinara we buy to make sure the recipe turns out luscious. But you could skip that by purchasing a high quality sauce like Rao's, which happens to be our favorite. Make sure to taste the marinara to adjust as needed. You can add an extra pinch of salt or a little dried Italian seasoning blend if needed.
• 2 Batches of our Tofu Ricotta: See below for the recipe (which is the doubled version of our original recipe).

For the Tofu Ricotta (Manicotti Filling)

• 2 15-Ounce packages (about 396g each) Firm or Extra Firm Tofu: Drained but not pressed. The firm tofu makes the ricotta turn out a little wetter but slightly creamier whereas the extra firm tofu comes out a little thicker and fluffier. I've made the recipe so many times with either option and it always turns out fine.
• ½ Cup Nutritional Yeast: We used non-fortified nutritional yeast to keep the ricotta a little lighter, but it doesn't really matter.
• 4-6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, To Taste
• 4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Original/Plain Flavor Non-Dairy Milk: We like to use shelf stable soy milk to make the recipe just a bit more luscious but anything should work. Don't use vanilla flavor!
• Spices: We used 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and about 1 + ½ teaspoons salt to flavor the vegan ricotta.

Substitutions

• Manicotti Shells: You can use large pasta shells to make a Stuffed Shells situation OR you can totally just mix this ricotta with marinara and any pasta noodle and it will turn out delicious. You can also use this recipe to make your own vegan lasagna (just use oven ready lasagna noodles OR pre-cook regular lasagna sheets).
• Marinara: If you don't like tomato sauce, you can use another sauce like your favorite white sauce.
• Tofu: If you need a soy-free recipe, try making cashew ricotta with soaked raw cashews or almond ricotta with soaked blanched almonds. You may need a bit more liquid to blend, but you can just add a little with the nuts and other ingredients in your food processor. For nut-free, you could also use raw sunflower seeds or even white beans.
• Nutritional Yeast: If you absolutely hate nutritional yeast, you don't need to add it here. Try using less non-dairy milk if skipping it, since the nutritional yeast does tend to thicken the recipe a bit.
• Additional Ingredients: Try adding some chopped fresh spinach to the ricotta mixture! You can use frozen too, just thaw it and press out the excess liquid in a strainer. If you like things spicy, add some red pepper flakes to either the marinara or the vegan ricotta mixture.

How to Make Vegan Manicotti

1. Note on Equipment: I used a big lasagna pan for this so my manicotti shells would fit side by side. Any pan or baking dish with tall sides should work. To make the manicotti pasta shells easier to fill, I used a piping bag with a large tip but you can also use a food storage bag with the corner cut off. I recommend having a rubber band to close up the top after filling the bag, otherwise the filling gets everywhere. You can also just use a small spoon, but I find this to be much faster and easier. It took me 10-15 minutes to fill 14 shells and that included filling the piping bag a few times.
2. Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (about 190 degrees Celsius) and pour a little less than half of your marinara into the bottom of the baking dish or pan. Spread it around with the back of a spoon or spatula.
3. Make the Vegan Ricotta: Crumble the tofu into your food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. You can either pulse it or blend it, depending on how smooth you like your ricotta. Once fully mixed I like to take out the blade and use a spoon to spatula some of it into my piping bag. Remember to use a rubber band or twist tie to secure the top of the bag so the filling doesn't fall out.
4. Fill the Manicotti: Fill each manicotti shell by holding the piping bag near the bottom with your dominant hand and the shell with the other. Insert the tip of the bag into the shell as far as it will go and firmly compress the bag to fill, slowly moving backward with the top until the ricotta reaches the end of that side of the shell. Repeat on the other side and place the shell in the marinara-lined pan. Repeat with remaining shells, refilling your pastry bag as needed. Save a little ricotta for dolloping on top.
5. Add Extra Sauce: Use MOST of rest of the sauce topping the stuffed manicotti. I highly recommend covering most of the shells. The parts that are left exposed tend to get slightly chewy. I enjoy that texture, but I like most of the pasta to be covered. If you want it all to be soft, cover the manicotti completely with extra sauce.
6. Add Extra Ricotta: If you have a little ricotta leftover (I used a spatula to scrape some together in my food processor bowl), you can put little dollops of it on top of the manicotti before baking. You could also sprinkle on vegan mozzarella cheese shreds or nutritional yeast (or skip if you prefer).
7. COVER and Bake: It's extremely important to cover the pan when you bake it (the sauce and/or pasta may burn in our experience if you don't). We covered with aluminum foil, but an upside down baking sheet can work in a pinch. Bake for about 20-30 minutes. After 20 minutes, use oven mitts to carefully remove the dish from the oven and push aside a bit of the foil. Use a fork to try a small piece on the corner of one of the manicotti to test if it is soft enough. Mine were perfectly ready at 25 minutes, but not soggy at all (don't overcook!).
8. Serve: Let cool briefly and serve. I love topping mine with a little grated vegan parmesan cheese (we love the Violife vegan parmesan block grated with microplane) and some fresh basil.
9. Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Gently reheat in the microwave or covered in a pan over low to medium heat.

More Vegan Italian Recipes

• Vegan Panna Cotta — the perfect dessert for vegan manicotti!
• Tofu Gnocchi
• Vegan Cacio e Pepe
• Vegan Pastina
• Zucchini Risotto
• Vegan Pasta Puttanesca
• Creamy Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
• Vegan Carbonara
• Vegan Pasta Primavera
• Even more Vegan Italian Recipes

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