Tofu Manicotti

Tofu Manicotti
Makes 10-14 shells

Don’t be put off by all the ingredients and directions. This is actually a fairly easy recipe to make. No one will be able to tell that one of the main ingredients is tofu. You can make this recipe even easier by using a pre-made tomato & herbs pasta sauce instead of making the sauce yourself. You can also add other veggies to the filling mixture. There are add-on suggestions at the end of the recipe.

1 box Manicotti shells (usually has 14 shells)

Sauce:
1 28oz can tomato sauce
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
Balsamic vinegar to taste (or sugar)

Filling:
2 small red onions, finely chopped
Olive oil (about 3 tablespoons, depending on type of pan)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 ½ pounds firm tofu
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Wrap the tofu in a towel and place on a plate. Put another plate on top of the wrapped tofu. Place a heavy object on top of the plate. (Large canned item, cookbook, bowl, etc.)
Heat a large stock pot of water on high. Add shells and cook for about 8 minutes or until al dente.
Drain and set aside.
Combine all sauce ingredients except balsamic in a bowl and mix well. Add balsamic to taste.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until the onion begins to get transparent, about 5 minutes.
Put the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse a few times until they are mixed together. Add the tofu, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Process until very smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread 1 cup of the sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Turn a large Ziploc bag inside out halfway. Place the filling into the bag in one of the corners. Unfold the bag and cut about a ¾ inch tip off the corner of the bag that contains the filling. Put the cut tip just inside a cooked shell and squeeze the bag, filling the shell with desired amount. Continue with the rest of the shells. Arrange the shells in the baking dish. Spread the remaining sauce over the shells. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the shells are heated through, about 20-30 minutes.

Filling Add-ons:
- Fresh or frozen chopped spinach
- Peas
- Pureed vegetables such as cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli. (Veggies that don’t have a strong flavor.)

Recipe by Dayna P******