Vegan Mmmanicotti

My pal Julia Strub's rendition of this dish! Isn't it gorgeous?!

So I’m Italian. Which means I’ve eaten my fair share o’ pasta. Unfortunately this makes me a bit of a spaghetti snob. It takes a really, really great pasta dish to knock my socks off. And I’m over-the-moon-freaking-excited to share this one with you. Why, you ask? Because as I have said from the beginning, the recipes on this site are intended to be easy, quick, affordable and above all– delicious! The best way to normalize a vegan diet is to seduce a person’s taste-buds. I’m confident this recipe will help you do it!

What you’ll need:

• 1 package firm tofu
• 1 bunch of fresh spinach (baby or regular); as much or as little as you want (remember spinach becomes eeeeensy weeensy once cooked!)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• about 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of manicotti shells (the pre-made store brands are almost always egg-free, but check to be sure!)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (you can make your own pasta sauce if you have the time, or use a good quality jarred sauce)
• 1 cup of Daiya mozzarella cheese
• a sandwich bag (I used the empty Daiya bag) to ‘pipe’ the mixture
• large sized square or rectangular pan

How you’ll do it:

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees and wash yo’ hands
2. Remove tofu from package, drain most excess water and crumble into medium sized bowl
3. In a medium pan/pot, throw in spinach with a bit of water and olive oil, cooked until wilted, ensuring it doesn’t burn
4. Add cooked spinach, garlic powder, yeast, salt, pepper, oregano and approximately two tablespoons of olive oil to the tofu
5. Mix well and using hand blender (or transferring to a food processor) pulse until it’s nice and smooth
6. Taste mixture and make any necessary adjustments with herbs and spices
7. Fill the bag with the mixture, and snip a small hole (about the size of a dime) out of the corner
8. Squeeze the mixture into the manicotti shells* by holding the tube upright, with the palm of your hand covering the bottom (so the mixture doesn’t spill out)
9. Ladle approximately one half of the pasta sauce into a large square/rectangular pan, ensuring the entire base is covered in a tiny layer of sauce (approx. half the length of your pinky nail)
10. Place stuffed shells onto pan (maximize the layout!) and cover them with the remaining sauce
11. Crumble any remaining bits of the tofu mixture and the Daiya cheese on top of the pasta
12. Bake for approximately 30 minutes (check the softness of the shell prior to removing)

*Fun fact: the shells do not need to be cooked first! No lie. The moisture from the mixture and the sauce, and giving them enough time to properly bake works wonders! They taste even BETTER than when you pre-cook them! Y’heard it here first!

How you’ll eat it:

• in large groups, preferably with a bunch of vegan-skeptics (you know the ones who think we live on salad and tubers?)
• too quickly after pulling it out of the oven because the smell is irresistible (watch your tongue!)
• in bigger quantities than you imagined possible
• semi-monthly

This dish can be served alongside fresh baked bread, with a salad and of course veggies can be added to the sauce to help get your 5-10 a day! I cannot wait to make this for a get together, as it is the perfect sort of dish to celebrate friends and vegan food! It’s funny how nostalgic a taste can make you, as that delicious crunch the shells gets right around their edges made me feel like I was 8 years old, surrounded by all of my relatives, huddled around the card tables in my Nonna’s basement, waiting for her to dish out the manicotti (Italian’s don’t let family sit on the good furniture :P). I’m so happy to be able to shape this tradition to be one that is loving not just to the people at our tables, but to the animals in our world. I hope you love it!