Description
This simple Easy Vegan Manicotti with Cheesy Tofu Ricotta is super cozy and delicious. This veganized classic is comfort food at its best!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Vegan Manicotti
- 14 ounces Dry Manicotti Shells
- 24 ounces Marinara of Choice (see Note 2)
- Tofu Ricotta Filling (below)
For the Tofu Ricotta (Manicotti Filling)
- 2 15-ounce packages (about 396g each) Firm or Extra Firm Tofu, drained but not pressed (see Note 3 for substitutions)
- 1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast (see Note 4)
- 4-6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, To Taste
- 4 Tablespoons Unsweetened Original/Plain Flavor Non-Dairy Milk
- 2 Teaspoons Onion Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 + 1/2 Teaspoons Salt, to taste
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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!).
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
- Note 1: 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 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).
- Note 2: 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.
- Note 3: 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. 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 cooked white beans.
- Note 4: We used non-fortified nutritional yeast to keep the ricotta a little lighter, but it doesn't really matter. 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.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Italian