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Vegan Manicotti – A simple vegan ‘ricotta’ cheese filling and rich, hearty spaghetti sauce make this homemade simple vegan pasta dish a comforting family dinner!
This is a super simple version of manicotti (also known as Cannelloni) using a vegan ricotta cheese. My daughter used to eat this all the time and so I wanted to recreate this for her. Needless to say she loved it and polished it off!
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Why We Love This Manicotti Recipe
- Dairy-free. The filling is made with a dairy-free ricotta and is just as creamy and delicious as its dairy counterpart. Honestly, you can’t tell the difference!
- Easy to customize. Use a cashew or tofu based ricotta. You may even opt to stir in spinach to the ricotta for some color and veggies.
And don’t forget the sides, this is great served with a sprinkle of Almond Parmesan and chunk of homemade Artisan Breadto wipe up all the sauce. And if you like a salad on the side, this Classic House Salad would be delicious!
Ingredients You’ll Need
In this recipe, cooked manicotti shells are filled with vegan ricotta, topped with pasta sauce and baked to perfection, creating the most delicious and filling Italian vegan recipe everyone will love!
Here is everything you will need:
- Manicotti pasta shells – manicotti tubes are ribbed, unlike cannelloni which are smooth. You can use either type with success.
- Vegan ricotta – Cashew Ricotta Cheese orTofu Ricotta, double if using these recipes (you may have a little leftover).
- Pasta sauce – make homemade Marinara Sauce or use your favorite jarred.
- Almond parmesan – I’m partial to my Almond Parm, but use your favorite.
- Basil – sweet basil adds wonderful flavor, but is optional.
How To Make Vegan Manicotti
- Cook the manicotti pasta.
- Place a little pasta sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
- Using an iced tea spoon, gallon ziplock bag with corner cut or reusable piping bag (affiliate link), carefully fill each manicotti with vegan ricotta.
- Place filled shells in baking dish.
- Top with remaining pasta sauce, as shown above.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven set at 350 degrees (shown below).
- Let cool a few minutes before serving.
And now you’re ready to dine!
Serving Suggestions
- Toppings: We love topping ours with a light dusting of Almond Parmesan and julienned fresh basil.
- Bread: It’s also great with a chunk of homemade Artisan Bread, breadsticks, or soft and chewy Vegan Naan to wipe up all the sauce.
- Salad: Pair with a side of Classic House Salad, Vegan Caesar Salad, Green Salad + Lemon Tahini Dressing or simple leafy green salad with Healthy Flax + Evo Balsamic Vinaigretteor Vegan Ranch.
- Soup: Serve with a small bowl of Vegan Minestrone, Celery Soup or Asparagus + Red Lentil Soup on the side.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This vegan manicotti is freezer friendly and can be kept for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in something like these multi-use freezer safe containers (affiliate link). Let thaw before reheating.
- Reheat: Simply re-warm, covered, in preheated oven set to 350 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes. Alternately, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 seconds intervals until warm.
More Easy Italian Recipes
- The Ultimate Vegan Lasagna
- Vegan Stuffed Peppers
- Spaghetti and Italian Vegan Meatballs
- Easy Vegan Calzones
If you try this stuffed shells recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
VEGAN CANNELLONI (MANICOTTI)
A simple vegan cannelloni, aka manicotti, using homemade tofu or cashew ricotta cheese, pasta sauce and fresh basil to top it off!
- Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Entree, Pasta
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 10 – 12 manicotti pasta shells (8 oz. package)
- 4 cups vegan ricotta (cashew ricotta cheese or tofu ricotta, double if using these recipes (you may have a little leftover))
- 2 cups or so marinara sauce, or pasta sauce of choice
- chopped fresh basil, to serve (optional)
Instructions
Make your vegan ricotta cheese and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook cannelloni shells, about eight minutes. Rinse in cool water.
Prep dish: In approx. a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, pour about 3/4 cup pasta sauce onto the bottom.
Fill shells: Place ricotta in a large size zip lock bag, let all the air out and seal. Cut a small hole on one bottom corner about 1/4 inch wide (or use a pastry bag as in the notes). Squeeze ricotta cheese into each tube. Place in baking dish and cover with remaining sauce, add more sauce if desired.
Bake: Cover with foil or silicone mat and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of freshly chopped basil for a bit of color. Also great with Almond Parmesan and homemade Artisan Bread.
Serves 5 – 6, 2 shells per serving
Notes
Feel free to add in fresh chopped basil, chives, spinach, etc. into the ricotta. Roughly chop and incorporate before filling the tubes. You could also try a butternut squash pasta sauce!
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: For filling the shells I used my reusable pastry bag with tips (804 size) (affiliate links). I’ve also used an iced tea spoon to fill each shell (it was a little messier, but got the job done). In place of foil, I find using a silpat (or something similar) works great for covering baking dishes, without sinking in the center.
Keywords: vegan manicotti
Updated: Vegan Manicotti was originally published in November 2012. It has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in February 2020.
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