Ingredients
Filling:
- 11.64 ounces / 330g firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4.59 ounces / 130g frozen spinach*
- ⅓ cup / 12g nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow/brown onion, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 24.69 ounces / 700g tomato passata (known as strained tomatoes in the US)
- 4 large fresh basil leaves, chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried basil)
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)
White Sauce:
- 1 cup / 140g raw cashews
- ⅓ cup / 12g nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of nutmeg (freshly grated is always best)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1½ cups / 300ml water
Extras:
- 14 cannelloni tubes (approx. 7.05 ounces / 200g)
- Vegan parmesan (optional)
- Extra basil leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit / 200 degrees Celsius.
- Prepare the ricotta base: In a bowl, finely crumble the tofu (11.29 ounces / 320g) with your fingers. Add the lemon juice (2 tablespoons) and salt (1 teaspoon), stir well, and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Prepare the tomato sauce: To a skillet on medium heat, add the olive oil (2 tablespoons), the onion, and salt (½ teaspoon). Let it cook down for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the garlic and cook for a further minute. Pour in the passata and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Defrost the spinach: In the meantime, place the frozen spinach (4.59 ounces / 130g) in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Once defrosted and separated, drain well using a fine mesh sieve. This step is important to avoid a watery filling. You may lose some smaller pieces of spinach through a normal sieve, so a fine mesh works best.* You don’t have to squeeze out the excess moisture, as some liquid is fine. Add it to the tofu mix.
- Make the white sauce: In a high-speed blender,* add all the white sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Go back to the tomato sauce after the 10 minutes, turn off, and stir in the chopped basil leaves (4 leaves) and black pepper (½ teaspoon). Set aside.
- Finish off the ricotta: Once the 15 minutes are up, add nutritional yeast (⅓ cup), garlic powder (1 teaspoon), and the olive oil (2 tablespoons) to your tofu and spinach mixture. Mix everything well, breaking up any spinach clumps.
- Assemble: Pour half the tomato sauce into the base of a 9.45-inch / 24cm square baking dish (or a similar size that fits your cannelloni without gaps).
- Stuffing the cannelloni: Using your hands, carefully fill each tube with as much filling as possible without cracking the pasta. Place each stuffed tube on top of the sauce in your baking dish.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top, ensuring to cover all the pasta edges so they don’t dry out during baking.
- Top with the white sauce straight from the blender, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the pasta with a knife and it’s tender all the way through. You want the fork to go through it effortlessly. It will melt in your mouth, but it should also keep its structure.
- Let it rest: Remove from the oven, and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before serving. This helps everything set and makes it easier to cut cleaner portions. Top with vegan parmesan and fresh basil leaves (optional).
Notes
Spinach: Fresh or frozen spinach works perfectly. If using fresh, you’ll need 3.53 ounces / 100g finely chopped – no need to cook it first.
Fine mesh: If you don’t have a fine mesh strainer, use a cheesecloth or nut milk bag to let excess liquid drain out. Don’t squeeze it, as some moisture is good.
Blender: Don’t have a high-speed blender for the white sauce? Soak your cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes first, then blend.
White sauce: The white sauce gives you creamy, melty goodness while letting you control the flavor. However, if you have a vegan cheese you like that melts well, swap it out for the white sauce.
Timing: There is a bit of timing flow with this recipe. But you can adjust it to however it works best for you.
