Add to: Recipe Box | Grocery List | Meal PlannerRecipe submitted by Adel, Chrisoula & Maxwell
Ricotta and Spinach Suffed ManicottiIngredients (use vegan versions): 1 lbs. firm tofu
1 10 oz package frozen spinach (thawed)
1 tablespoon garlic powder or 1 - 2 cloves fresh garlic - chopped
1/4 cup nurtritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
3 or 4 tablespoon nice olive oil
1 package manicotti noodles
1 good size jar tomato sauce - I like Barilla Lasagna & Casserole Sauce
Directions:Note: A little trick I learned working in a good Italian
Restaurant in New Jersey. You do not need to precook the
Manicotti Noodles, just leave the filling a bit wetter than
you normally would. The same goes for lasagna noodles.
Oven @ 375 degrees
Drain spinach by squeezing in hands over the sink, not
totally dry! Remove tofu from water and put into food
processor or bowl. Add spinach, garlic, salt, pepper,
oregano, yeast flakes, and about 2 Tbsps olive oil. Pulse
or mix by hand in bowl until well mixed and smooth, scaping
sides of bowl. Taste. Adjust seasoning. Fill large zip
lock or regular plastic bag w / mixture. Snip about a dime
size hole in bottom corner. Pipe mixture into manicotti
shells, filling compactly. Pour tomatoe sauce into a large
bowl. Fill jar up w / about 1/2 - 3/4 cup water. Put top
back on jar and shake well to further remove any remaining
sauce. Add to sauce in bowl, mix well adding some olive
oil. Ladle 1/2 sauce into a large retangular pan. Put
stuffed manicoti into sauce. Top w / remaining sauce. Bake
, covered 20 - 25 min. Remove cover and bake another 10 -
15 min, until nice and bubbly and a little crunchy. If you
have some vegan mozzerella (SOYMAGE), you can shred it and
top the noodles during the last stage when the noodles are
cooking uncovered. I don't think the soy "cheese" makes
much of a difference, but it does make the dish look a bit
more traditional. Let cool a bit and ENJOY!!
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 40 min.
This was delicious. I definitely will make it again. The only change I would make is in the sauce I wo
uld use. I couldn't find the kind recommended and used a garlic flavoured tomato sauce. Next time I ma
ke it I will use pasta sauce, which I think will improve it. Probably this is what the person submitti
ng the recipe intended.
Archived comment by: Wendie
I don't know why this recipe only has two stars. There must me some tofu-haters voting. My friend and I made it a couple months ago and loved it. We're about to make it again. The uncooked pasta trick
really works. I think we added some extra spices to the tofu mixture, and we used steamed fresh spinach, cause our co-op doesn't carry frozen. All in all, the best manicotti, vegan or not, I've ever had!
Archived comment by: flamekat
Well, it went over really well so I'm happy. I actually had the idea when I was steaming my spinach to add the left over (spinach)water to the empty bottle of sauce instead of regular water for a little extra nutrients. This was a nice change for us, usually it's always spaghetti if we have pasta. I love it when new dishes turn out good. I will make this again and again. P.S. I love that it's so easy! Less mess=less stress.
Archived comment by: supervegangirl
Just wanted to add an update. I just got back from living in Paros, Greece for nine months. I made this recipe there for everyone at my school (about 20 people), only one other being vegan, and one vegetarian. I couldn't find manicotti noodles anywhere on the island, so I used cannelloni noodles instead. Everybody LOVED it! And this was a diverse group-- Texans, Mexicans, Japanese, Brazilian.... My
Brazilian friend asked me to make it again for her and her Greek boyfriend, and he loved it as well, even though we keep having to explain what tofu is (cholesterol-free soy milk cheese). I put a lot of extra garlic and spices in, and still use fresh spinach. I often add chopped, sauteed mushrooms as well. This would also make a good filling for lasagna. I envision this recipe being made in my kitchen
s for years to come. Try it!
Archived comment by: Flamekat
so delicious! i added some white mushrooms and a small onion to the food processor and it turned out perfectly.
Archived comment by: callthedoctor
The filling for the manicotti was just delicious!
Archived comment by: kattia
