Description
This simple 3-ingredient vegan manicotti is cozy, delicious, and easy to make. Customize it any way you like!
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz (14 pieces) Manicotti Shells (see note 1)
- 16 oz tomato sauce or pasta sauce (see note 2)
- 1+1/2 batches 5 minute Vegan Ricotta (see note 3 for sub)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 375 F (191 C) and spread half the tomato sauce over the bottom of a tall rimmed baking pan or dish (I used a lasagna pan).
- Stuff: Use a small or narrow spoon (a baby spoon or grapefruit spoon both work well) to stuff small amounts of ricotta into the shell, then use a chopstick or straw to push the cheese down the tube until the halfway point. Repeat on each side until the shell is full. Repeat with each shell and place in the pan.
- Cover: Add more (I used chunky for this) tomato sauce on top. You can either cover or don’t completely cover the noodles with sauce. They will be softer if you do this, so I recommend cooking it for maybe 5 minutes less than the recommended 30 minutes, to ensure your pasta doesn't get soggy.
- Bake: Cover (with foil or parchment) and bake for about 30 minutes. Try a small piece on the corner of one of the manicotti to test if it is soft enough. Mine were definitely ready at 30 minutes, but not soggy at all.
- Garnish: If you wish, garnish with fresh chopped basil and dollops of leftover ricotta (I had just enough leftover ricotta to do this, and I used a medium cookie scoop to dollop the cheese).
- Serve: Serve hot and enjoy!
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Note 1: If you want to make vegan manicotti, you’ll need manicotti shells. Though, you can also use lasagna noodles that have been cooked till al dente (softened and chewy; almost cooked) and roll them up if you want. You can also just mix any kind of al dente pasta with the sauce and vegan ricotta and bake it, making a sort of deconstructed manicotti. To make this recipe gluten-free, all you have to do is use gluten-free pasta.
- Note 2: I like to use both a chunky and a non-chunky sauce for this, so I mixed a can of diced tomatoes with a can of tomato sauce, but you can use whatever you’d like. If you are oil-free like me, it can be challenging to find a jarred tomato sauce that is oil-free. Whole Foods, Aldi, and Trader Joe’s all offer at least one option. But, you can also just season canned tomato sauce to your liking. You can also use any other type of sauce--even vegan pumpkin cheese sauce!
- Note 3: For the cheese, I use my nut-free vegan ricotta, that’s protein packed and takes literally like 3 minutes to make in the food processor or blender. I made a batch and a half for this recipe and it was the perfect amount that left me with a little bit to dollop on top of the finished product. You could also use a store-bought vegan cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Can Be Gluten-Free, Vegan Manicotti