Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Eggplant and Zucchini filled Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Tomato Sauce is my new favorite pasta dinner. I love a good baked pasta dish. Unfortunately, too often these dishes are loaded with a ton of cheese which is anything but healthy. Roasted vegetables are the perfect creamy substitute for cheese and the rich flavor of the eggplant and sweetness of zucchini is just right to pair with a spicy tomato sauce. There is only one problem with Vegetable stuffed Vegan Manicotti, portion control takes discipline!
Ingredients for Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Whole Wheat Manicotti
The Vegan Manicotti Filling
- eggplant
- zucchini
- sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil
- carrots
- celery
- yellow onion
- white wine
The Spicy Tomato Sauce
- extra virgin olive oil
- minced garlic
- red pepper flakes
- Italian seasoning
- whole stewed plum tomatoes
- tomato sauce
- tomato paste
- fresh basil
Optional Toppings for Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Sauce
- nutritional Cheese (vegan) or Pecorino-Romano (vegetarian)
- fresh parsley
- crushed red pepper
Vegan Does Not Have to be Overly-Processed
My Sweetheart, Mark, and I love to travel to Italy. One of our favorite activities is to take cooking classes. Group cooking classes can be very tricky for me, because I cannot have cows dairy. Whenever I hear we are going to make ravioli, or other baked pasta, I worry. I assume I will have one of two options, not eating what we make, or being stuck with overly-processed store-bought vegan cheese. In Italy, there is a very easy option, cooks use creamy, flavorful pureed vegetables to stuff the pasta. What was really surprising, using vegetables to stuff pastas is not something they did specifically for me, it is a common way to prepare food in Italy. Here is the United States, we tend to rely on copious amounts of cheese. I love Italy where fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the norm, and overly-processed foods are not!
This Spicy Tomato Sauce is Amazing
This spicy tomato sauce is just the perfect sauce for these Vegan Stuffed Manicotti. The great news is that it is super easy to prepare. A quick sauce to make, it can be prepared while the vegetables are roasting. After you try this tomato sauce recipe, you may decide to keep it for other your favorite pasta dishes.
Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Sauce only LOOKS Hard to Make
While there are several steps involved to make roasted eggplant and zucchini stuffed manicotti, it is not hard. I do suggest that you get all the ingredients out before you start and read through the directions all the way. Sacrificing myself, I made this several times to find the best order of preparation to save you time. Yes, I was willing to make (and eat) this a few times making sure it was just right (so generous of me – haha).
Time Saving Steps to Preparing Vegetable-Filled Manicotti
- Prepare the eggplant and zucchini and get them in the oven to roast.
- While the vegetables are roasting, make the soffrito, an aromatic mixture of onion, carrot, and celery browned in extra virgin olive oil.
- While the soffito is browning, boil the manicotti and allow them to cool. Be sure to save the salted pasta water.
- While the vegetables are cooling, make the spicy tomato sauce and allow to simmer.
- While the manicotti is cooling, purée the eggplant and zucchini with the soffrito.
- Fill the manicotti tubes with the vegetable mixture. The filling should be in the center leaving 1/2 inch of each end empty. The filling will spread when baking.
- Place the spicy tomato sauce and stuffed manicotti in a baking dish and put in the oven.
- Clean the kitchen while the Eggplant and Zucchini filled Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Tomato Sauce is baking.
- Pour a glass of red wine and enjoy dinner knowing you did a job well-done and have a clean kitchen!
I hope the process above does not discourage you from making Eggplant and Zucchini filled Vegan Manicotti in Spicy Tomato Sauce. I can promise, it is well worth the time and energy to make it. The best part for Mark and I is that we are able to enjoy leftovers the next day!! That spicy sauce is actually better the next day. Yummy.
Ingredients
The Filling
The Sauce
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the vegetables. Cut the eggplant in half and then in quarters. Cut the zucchini’s in half. Cover both with extra virgin olive oil and salt liberally. Roast in the oven until soft and golden for approximately 30 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting -make the soffrito. Small dice the carrots, celery and onion. Using a nonstick skillet, if you have one, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the vegetables. Salt and pepper the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables until soft, stirring frequently. The vegetables will brown, but do not allow them to crisp. It will take 6-8 minutes to soften. Once soft, add the white wine and sauté until the liquid has evaporated, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
While the soffrito is sautéing, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a heavy pinch of salt and add the manicotti pasta cooking to al dente according to the directions. Using a hand held strainer, remove the pasta from the boiling water. Reserve the water. Place the manicotti on a parchment lined baking sheet to cool. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven, allow to cool.
While the pasta is cooking and the vegetables are cooling, prepare the sauce. Add three (3) tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a pan and sauté the minced garlic, stirring for one minute. Add the red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the can of whole tomatoes with the liquid, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Add the basil leaves, turn low and simmer, allowing to thicken.
While the sauce is simmering, purée the filling. Once the roasted eggplant and zucchini are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and place it in a food processor if you have one. Add the soffrito and puree the filling. Carefully fill the manicotti, reserving about 1/2 inch on either side of tube.
Prepare a 9X13 baking dish with extra virgin olive oil. Spoon a thin layer of the spicy tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be thick and chunky. If the sauce is too thick to pour easily, add 1-2 ounces of the reserved pasta water. Using a tool, or a small spoon, insert the filling mixture into the manicotti. Fill as many manicotti as the mixture allows. Discard any manicotti tubes that split open. Cover the manicotti with the remaining sauce. Top with nutritional yeast or pecorino romano. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until bubbling. Top with parsley. Serve hot and enjoy!
Nutrition Per Serving
I use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator to fill the manicotti. I use the Pampered Chef Stainless Steel Spider Strainer to scoop out the pasta. If you do not have a food processor, a high speed blender can be used. An immersion blender or held-hand mixer would work as well.
