Easy Meatless Manicotti

I feel like I'm about due to make a hearty vegan entree. So here it is!

Even if it's made without meat, manicotti is still mainly a cheese dish, in the non-vegan world. This recipe called for three kinds: shredded mozzarella, shredded Parmesan, and cottage cheese. For the first two, the Vegan Mozzarella block from Galaxy Foods will do. (www.galaxyfoods.com) Cottage cheese, much like ricotta in earlier recipes, can be easily substituted with crumbled firm tofu.

In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup shredded "mozzarella", 8 oz crumbled firm tofu, and 2 additional tablespoons of whatever vegan cheese you choose for the "Parmesan". Add 3/4 tsp. oregano, a dash each of salt and pepper, and half a 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed. Squeeze out some of the excess liquid from the spinach with paper towels first. Half the package should be about 2/3 cup.

Mix well, and spoon three tablespoons of the mixture into each of 7 (uncooked) manicotti tubes. As always with pasta, just make sure that eggs do not feature in the ingredient list of whatever brand you buy.

Coat an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 3/4 cup tomato-basil pasta sauce on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the stuffed manicotti in a single layer, and top with an additional 3/4 cup sauce. Pour half a cup of water in the dish, then sprinkle with a final 1/4 cup of the shredded vegan cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Let stand ten minutes before serving.

The yield is three full-servings of 2 manicotti each, for 330 calories. Plus one leftover manicotti that you can fight over for seconds!

Cost:
vegan cheese $3.39
tofu $2.19
frozen spinach $2.00
tomato-basil sauce $2.69
manicotti $2.49