Vegan Pesto Tofu Manicotti

Vegan tofu manicotti cracks the great dairy-free pasta bake puzzle: how do you replicate the creamy ricotta filling that defines the dish? The answer here is mashed soft tofu, broken up with a fork and seasoned with onion salt until the texture matches whole-milk cottage cheese.

Mix it with pesto, chopped vegetables, and you have a filling that holds its shape inside the shells but stays tender after a long bake.

The basil pesto carries the flavor here in a way most vegan ricotta substitutes can’t. It’s already loaded with olive oil, garlic, nuts, and herbs, so the tofu becomes a creamy carrier rather than a flavor source.

Green bell pepper, mushrooms, and scallions add textural variety so each bite isn’t a uniform mash. A blanket of marinara on top, soy mozzarella, and a generous shake of Italian seasoning bake into a bubbling crust in 25 minutes.

Pro Tips

• Press the soft tofu lightly between paper towels before mashing. Excess water will pool in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Cook the manicotti shells just to al dente. They finish cooking in the sauce and oversaturated shells split when stuffed.
• Pipe the filling with a freezer bag (corner snipped off) for clean filling without tearing the shells.
• Cover with foil for the first 15 minutes if your soy mozzarella browns fast. Some brands burn quicker than dairy.

Variations

• Stir in a tablespoon of nutritional yeast to the filling for a deeper umami, cheesy note.
• Use a layer of spinach marinara instead of plain for a Florentine-style version.
• Swap pesto for sun-dried tomato paste for a bolder, richer Mediterranean spin.