No more missing out on your Italian favorite! A Classic Baked Gluten-Free & Vegan Manicotti recipe with homemade tomato sauce, a creamy dairy-free & soy-free cheesy filling, all topped with a homemade 2-ingredient “parmesan”! A perfect comfort food dinner the whole family will enjoy!
Because what else screams comfort food than a cozy, cheesy, saucy, baked pasta dish? Hm, well, I can think of a few things, but back in the day, this would have been it! Manicotti was just one of those Italian pasta dishes that just melted in your mouth (and melted the heart!). So good and so comforting. Those thin, soft, “crepe-like” noodles filled with ricotta and shredded cheese, smothered in a lovely tomato sauce and baked to perfection. So let’s flip this classic dish on its head and make it a gluten-free and vegan manicotti!
How could you possibly make that classic manicotti gluten-free and vegan? O, don’t worry my celiac and plant-based cohorts! There is a way, a very delicious way! Once you get your hands on these brown rice manicotti noodles, all you need is some luscious almond ricotta, shredded vegan mozzarella, a jar of plain tomato sauce which you’ll be dressing up with spices and herbs, and finally a super quick secret vegan parmesan!
My special dairy-free parmesan is just a quick blitzed combo of raw hemp hearts and NOOCH (aka nutritional yeast)! One can not have a cheesy pasta dish without some nooch somewhere in there! The parmesan on top was the perfect opportunity to throw it in, along with some nutty/seedy hemp seeds for a perfect flavor combo and texture! It essentially is the “cherry on top”!
I just love how fork-soft the manicotti noodles get! A little parcel of delicious cheezy filling that makes you think you’re eating the “real deal” thing! Fooling the celiac (and vegan) mind and taste buds 100%! This manicotti is not only perfect for a cozy (chilly) winter’s night, but a fantastic make-ahead, stow in the freezer, kind of dish! One that I feel would be great to make as a “get well soon” or “new parents” dinner drop off gift. Or, just an emergency meal to have in the freezer for a quick reheated dinner on an unexpected hectic night!
Baked pasta dishes are essentially casseroles, are they not? I guess anything you bake in a ceramic casserole dish is! This isn’t just a dump-and-go casserole though, this is a beautiful labor of love. A little elbow grease is required (you will be filling), stirring a beautiful homemade sauce, making a tightly packed pasta line-up, but you’ll be enjoying the most delicious baked gluten-free & vegan manicotti you’ve ever tasted (or…the first you’ve ever tasted!)
Classic Baked Gluten-Free + Vegan Manicotti
Classic Baked Gluten-Free + Vegan Manicotti (Soy-Free)
No more missing out on your Italian favorite! A Classic Baked Gluten-Free & Vegan Manicotti recipe with homemade tomato sauce, a creamy dairy-free & soy-free cheesy filling, all topped with a homemade 2-ingredient “parmesan”! A perfect comfort food dinner the whole family will enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 Box Gluten-Free Manicotti Pasta
- Ricotta Filling:
- 2 Cups Plain Almond Ricotta (I use Kite Hill)
- 1 Cup Shredded Vegan Mozzarella (I use So Delicious)
- 2 TB Chopped Fresh Parsley
- Parmesan:
- 1/2 Cup Raw Hemp Hearts
- 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
- Tomato Sauce:
- 2 (15 oz) Cans Plain Unsalted Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil
- 1/4 Cup Minced Shallots
- 2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Boil the box of noodle according to directions for 4-5 minutes, drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Mix all the tomato sauce ingredients together in a large pot on the stove and simmer away for 10 minutes while you assemble the pasta.
- In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta filling ingredients.
- In a small food processor, blitz together the hemp seeds and nutritional yeast. Add 1/4 cup of this parmesan to the ricotta filling bowl.
- Get a 9×13 casserole dish out and lightly coat the bottom of the pan with the cooked sauce.
- Fill the cooked manicotti with the ricotta filling using a pastry bag, this filling gun, or a spoon!
- Place the filled manicotti noodles tightly packed together in rows in the casserole dish. Cover the noodles with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle on the rest of the hemp parmesan you made.
- Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove and serve!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
If your mouth watering, your stomach growling, your heart and soul just CRAVING the comfort of this gluten-free & vegan manicotti? I know mine is! I (and my Italian family) can attest to the warm and cozy deliciousness even with the manicotti being so “free-from”. There may be a lot of steps to this recipe, but it’s super easy when you break it down! It’s just mixing things together, assembling all the parts, and letting it bake to melt-in-your-mouth perfection! And those leftovers too! So worth the wait!
So tell me:
+ Do you have a go-to “casserole” dish you always keep stocked in the freezer for yourself or make and gift to others?
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Mel says
I always find that pasta dishes are the best for comfort food, especially on a coldly like today!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
They sure are!
Erica @ Coming up Roses says
That looks so good! So cool that it’s gluten-free, too!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks!
Helen Little says
Mmm this looks amazing! I’d never heard of manicotti before, so thanks for the introduction. I have celiac and vegan friends I know would love this, I’ll pass it on!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You need more Italian food then!
Lisa Pomerantz says
Like Pavlov’s dogs, I am salivating! This looks so good, and in my gluten free world I ahve not had something that looks this good in a very long time! MUST TRY! Thank you!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, well thank you so much! I hope you get to enjoy some soon!
Ruthie Ridley says
This is my kind of meal!! Look so yummy and I am GF and Soy free at the moment!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Perfect then! You’ll love this 🙂
Ayanna @ 21FlavorsofSplendor says
This looks yummy! Although I’m not vegan, I would totally make this.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Don’t need to be vegan to eat great food!
Ruthie Ridley says
This looks like something I need in my life!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I think so!
Belle says
Yum! That looks really good! I need to try this!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you!
Eileen Kelly says
This looks delicious! I will be making this for my daughter. Great recipe
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I bet you will, thanks!
roamy says
I`m a terrible cook but love eating good food,i feel tempted to try this one out and who knows,with the step by step explanation you gave, I might surprise myself.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It’s not too hard! Just boil, the pasta, mix up the “cheese”, stuff, and bake!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
That is screaming to be tucked into, it looks so good. Count me in!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Ha, thank you!
Carolyn says
This sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try making this!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I hope you enjoy! Let me know!
Emily says
Wow!! This looks absolutely incredible!! I’m running to the store now to get all the ingredients!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, awesome! Let me know how it comes out for you!
Jenny says
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks, enjoy!
Sincerely Nicki says
This looks delicious. i love anything in the pasta family. So I’ll definitely give this a try.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, right? Can’t go wrong!
Sharon says
I’ve made lasagna and cannelloni dishes before, but never tried manicotti. It looks (and sounds) absolutely delicious! I don’t think we have store-bought almond ricotta here in the UK (yet!) so I’ll see if I can find a recipe online. I’d love to give it a try!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I’m sure you have some vegan ricotta in the UK, lol!
Lexi C says
WOW this looks so good! I’m not vegan but I am lactose intolerant and Manicotti is always one of my favorite Italian dishes. I totally pinned this recipe! Thanks for sharing!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You’ll never miss a thing here!
Tiffany of Rattles and Pearls says
This looks amazing and I am definitely writing down this recipe.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy!
Ami M. Lee says
Always great to find gluten free AND vegan recipes! I have got to try that Kite Hill ricotta.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
The best I’ve found!
Mila says
Great recipe! Perfect for a meatless night!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Totally!
Sunni says
You sure know how to make my taste buds and tummy happy!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, glad I’m doing my job!
Gabby says
This sounds really good! I have a friend who has a gluten intolerance and I bet she would LOVE this recipe!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I bet, thanks!
Renee says
Break me off a piece of that! This looks so tasty and I hadn’t heard of these gluten free manicotti noodles before! I’m very thankful for their existence!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, me too!
Laura says
This looks unbelievably delicious! I am gluten and dairy free so always on the look out for recipes that are free from both!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Even if you’re not, you will LOVE this!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
This looks great! I just had dinner and this is making me hungry again! Love the way you made the parm cheese – great!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, my favorite way to do it!
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
These looks so gooey and delicious that you’d never guess it’s dairy free.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You wouldn’t 🙂
Nina | Lemons and Luggage says
OMG, this looks absolutely amazing! I need to make this. Haven’t had manicotti in ages actually. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
You are in for some cozy food!
Gina says
I am not on any diet restrictions. I can honestly say I never knew you could make gluten free meals like this! That looks delicious.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Of course! Anything is possible, even with our food allergies!
Megan says
Looks like a great option for those looking to stay away from specific foods. Love that it’s a good freezer meal option too! Make two – eat one, freeze one!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes! Double batch it up!
Gem says
Looks amazing! I’m always on the hunt for great gluten free pasta options so I will definitely be giving this one a try, thanks!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Jovial is a great pasta brand!
Deborah Hunter Kells says
So rich and yummy looking. I’m convinced it’s a doer!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It is a magic meal!
Kristin Cook says
Looks delish! I need to tell my friend about almond ricotta. She has really struggled to find a vegan cheese she likes.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Kite Hill ricotta won’t let you down! (But it can be pricy!!)
Angel Penn says
Finally!! Something that my pasta loving son can eat. He is allergic to eggs and dairy but absolutely LOVES pasta! It’s been hard trying to find things that will introduce variety but will not compromise his allergies. THANK YOU!!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
THIS is the exact meal he needs then! Enjoy!
Nico @ yumsome says
Indeed one cannot have a cheesy pasta dish without nooch… it’s the law! Ha ha! I like ‘little sleeves’ a lot… I feel less greedy wolfing down a huge plateful than I do with cannelloni! :-p xx
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Nooch is like the greatest thing to ever happen to…”cheese” 😉