Description
Stuffed with fresh spinach and tofu ricotta, layered with rich marinara sauce, and topped with creamy vegan cheese this vegan cannelloni is then baked to perfection so it’s bubbling with goodness. You’ll be surprised at how easily this vegan cannelloni comes together, perfect for a weeknight meal or fancy dinner.
This daily-free Italian pasta dish is easy to prepare and easily customizable. Add your favorite veggies, switch up the marinara sauce, or top with your favorite vegan cheese. It’s also perfect to prepare in advance and freezes well making it ideal for busy households.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Tofu Ricotta:
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 4 tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- 28 oz Firm Tofu (800 grams)
- 4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast Flakes (15 grams)
- 2 teaspoons of Dried Oregano
- 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup of Chopped Baby Spinach (30 grams)
Vegan Cheese Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
- 2 cups of Soy Milk (480ml) (any non-dairy milk)
- 1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast Flakes (15 grams)
- 1 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon of Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
Assembling:
- 20 Tubes Cannelloni (give or take depending on your dish size – cram in as many as you can)
- 2 and 1/2 cups of Marinara Sauce (600ml)
Serving:
- Fresh Chopped Parsley
- Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Tofu ricotta:
- Place crushed garlic and fresh lemon juice in a bowl and let sit for five minutes.
- After that, mash the tofu in a bowl with a fork.
- Fill the food processor with the mashed tofu, crushed garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, oregano, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Continue to pulse the food processor until the mixture is thoroughly blended but the chunky texture is maintained.
- Place the chopped baby spinach and tofu ricotta in a mixing bowl. Together, mix.
Vegan Cheese Sauce
- To make vegan cheese sauce, heat a pot over medium-high heat with the olive oil until the oil is hot. Flour all-purpose is added.
- Quickly fry the flour in the oil before adding the soy milk and stirring constantly.
- To avoid any lumps, cook the sauce by alternately whisking and stirring it with a wooden spoon.
- After bringing to a boil, stir continuously until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the sauce from the heat once it has thickened, then stir in the nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, salt, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix in all together.
- While you finish the rest of the dish, let the sauce cool and thicken.
Assemble it Together
- Set the oven’s temperature to 400°F (200°C).
- Using a 9 x 13 baking dish, add a layer of marinara sauce to the bottom of the dish.
- Pipe the tofu ricotta into the cannelloni tubes using a piping bag.
- In the baking dish, arrange the cannelloni tubes on top of the marinara sauce. Depending on the size of your cannelloni tubes, it’s acceptable if some of the tubes may lie vertically rather than horizontally. Just cram as many as you can.
- Pour the leftover marinara sauce over the filled tubes.
- Top with the vegan cheese sauce and smooth it out.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the oven.
- Serve the dish garnished with freshly chopped parsley and some freshly ground black pepper.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Stove & Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
