Manicotti reminds me of my childhood when I ate gluten and dairy filled heavy Italian food. I’m always trying to find GF/DF alternatives! I’ve mastered making both tofu ricotta and cashew ricotta, but sometimes I don’t feel like making my own vegan ricotta. For those times, I’ve discovered this creamy combo! I use Jovial diced or crushed tomatoes for the sauce, which has a sweet and bright flavor, and a combo of store bought vegan cheese for the filling and topping.
Tomato Sauce
1 jar Jovial diced or crushed tomatoes
1/2 chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp Olive Oil
salt & pepper
Manicotti
1 package Jovial Gluten Free Manicotti Shells
1 container of Kite Hill dairy free Ricotta
1/2 cup Vegan Grated Parmesan (I used follow your heart)
3 tbsp Miyokos Chive Cheese Wheel, softened (can add more if you’d like, you can use any vegan creamy cheese)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt & pepper
1 cup vegan mozarella (I used Dayia Cutting Board Shreds)
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Make the sauce by drizzling 1tbsp olive oil on the bottom of an enamled cast iron dutch oven on low heat. Add the diced onion and saute until it translucent.
2. Add jar of tomatoes, a little bit of salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, boil water for the manicotti. Once water is boiling, add salt to the water and cook the manicotti for the instructed cooking time. The Jovial GF pasta only takes 4 minutes to cook.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, vegan parm, cheese wheel, olive oil, chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
5. When the pasta is done cooking and slightly cooled, use a teaspoon or pastry bag to fill the pasta with the ricotta mixture.
6. Cover the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with half of the sauce and fill the dish with the filled manicotti. Use the remaining sauce to cover the manicotti in the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese.
7. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Enjoy once slightly cooled!