Vegan Manicotti

Vegan manicotti is a simple yet tasteful and easy-to-make recipe for you to try this holiday season. Made with manicotti filled with tofu ricotta, a rich vegan sausage pasta sauce, and topped with vegan cheese, this dish is a great way to enjoy dinner with your friends and family.

You will also love Vegan Spaghetti And Meatballs and Vegan Lasagne

Ingredient breakdown

Here is what you will need to make all the components of this delicious vegan manicotti:

• Manicotti pasta: You can easily find manicotti pasta from any grocery store. It comes in dried form and is shaped just like cannoli with ridges. You can also opt for gluten-free manicotti. Because it is shaped like a large tube, you can fill it with different fillings. For this vegan recipe, I have used tofu filling.
• Vegan cheese shredded: You can use vegan parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese. Vegan cheese is readily available from any grocery store, and its flavor is just like dairy cheese.

For the Pasta Sauce

• Vegan sausages: Vegan sausages look just like meat sausages; however, they are made from vegan ingredients. If you are looking for a gluten-free option, you can choose gluten-free sausages as well. These sausages are usually made from vegetables and mushrooms. Vegan sausages are very flavorful, and the flavor comes from mild to hot. Choose whatever flavor you love the most.
• Olive oil: Olive oil is loaded with healthy fats and is a perfect choice for cooking. If you don’t use olive oil, go for avocado oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil.
• Onion: Onion sets the base for this vegan pasta sauce. You can use red or yellow onion for this recipe. Onions add a savory and light sweet note to the sauce.
• Garlic: Garlic has a prominent savory flavor. Its intense flavor makes everything just perfect.
• Red bell pepper: Red bell pepper has a fruity flavor. You can use yellow or green bell pepper for this recipe as well. I love adding red bell pepper because of its vibrant color.
• Tomato: Adding tomato will bring richness and a unique tomato-y flavor.
• Italian seasoning: Italian seasoning is loaded with aroma and flavor from dried herbs. It is very convenient as you don’t have to add every ingredient separately.
• Pasta sauce: Premade pasta sauce is super convenient. It is made using tomatoes and herbs. You can just buy it and use it to your liking. You don’t have to spend hours waiting for the homemade sauce to cook. It is quick.
• Salt: Adjust the flavors by adding salt to the taste.

For the Filling

• Tofu: I have used extra-firm tofu for this recipe. That’s because it doesn’t have an excess of water. As a result, when you crumble it, you get the perfect texture for this filling.
• Green onion: Green onion offers a grassy and onion-like flavor.
• Nutritional yeast flakes: Nutritional yeast flakes are known to elevate the flavor of other ingredients. It adds cheesy flavor to the filling.
• Garlic powder: Garlic powder gives the same flavor as fresh garlic. It offers a depth of savory flavor to this dish.
• Onion powder: Onion powder gives you the same sweet and savory flavor.
• Italian seasoning: Italian seasoning gives aroma and rich flavor.
• Lemon juice: It offers a slight tanginess and freshness to the filling.
• Seasonings: Season the filling generously with salt.

How to make Vegan Manicotti?

Making vegan manicotti is almost the same as making vegan lasagna. Simply prepare the individual components of the dish and assemble them in the end. Here is what you have to do:

For the Pasta Sauce

Step 1: Start the preparation by making pasta sauce. For that, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil heats up, add vegan sausages and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side until they get a golden brown color. Place the pieces in a bowl and set them aside for later use.

Step 2: In the same saucepan, add chopped onion and cook for 3 minutes until tender. Add garlic and red bell peppers. Mix well and cook for a minute or two.

Step 3: Add chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, chopped vegan sausages, and pasta sauce. Mix well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture bubbles. Season with salt and mix well. Take the saucepan off the heat and set it aside.

For the filling

Step 4: Press extra-firm tofu to get rid of excess water. Pat it dry and crumble it either with hands or a potato masher. Add the crumbled tofu into a bowl. Add chopped green onions, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, lemon juice, black pepper, and salt.

Assembly

Step 5: Pour pasta sauce at the base of the casserole dish. Using the back of a spoon, spread it all across its surface.

Step 6: Fill manicotti pasta shells with tofu filling and arrange them at the bottom of the casserole dish in a single layer. Pour the remaining pasta sauce on top of the manicotti pasta.

Step 7: Cover the dish with parchment paper and aluminum foil and place it in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for about an hour or until the manicotti pasta shells are tender.

Step 8: Remove the aluminum foil and parchment paper. Spread grated vegan cheese on the pasta and bake further for about 15 minutes or until the top gets a golden brown color. Garnish with parsley. Enjoy.

Variation ideas

Here are a few variations that you can try for this recipe:

• Vegetables: The beauty of this vegan recipe is that you can use any vegetable instead of bell pepper. Use butternut squash, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, celery, etc.
• Leafy greens: Try adding spinach to this recipe. Sauté it and mix it with the pasta sauce and enjoy.
• Cashew/bean filling: if you don’t want to use tofu, no problem! You can make a mixture of soaked cashews and cooked white beans. This soy-free filling gives the same texture and is tasteful as well.

How to store Vegan Manicotti?

Place the leftover vegan manicotti in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will last for up to 5 days. Furthermore, you can also bake it in advance, cover it with aluminum foil and freeze it. Let it thaw and reheat. This makes this recipe super convenient to store.

Other Vegan Italian Recipes To Prepare

1. Gluten-Free Garlic Knots
2. Ratatouille
3. Italian Pasta Salad
4. Vegan Fennel Pasta
5. Vegan Spaghetti Sauce
6. Tiramisu

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