1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb silken style firm tofu
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach – thawed, drained and
squeezed dry
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp. salt
6 manicotti shells
2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Prepare the manicotti according to package directions and drain.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a food processor, chop the onion and garlic. Add the tofu, spinach, lemon juice basil, thyme and salt. Process until the mixture is similar to ricotta cheese – not too smooth. Remove from food processor, add 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and mix well.
Layer 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan. Stuff each manicotti with the filling (using a pastry bag really helps, otherwise you can carefully spoon in the filling) – fill almost to the edge of the pasta.
Place each filled manicotti in the pan. Top the pasta with the rest of the marinara sauce, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes – until hot and bubbly.
Remove the pan from oven, uncover, top with the remaining cheese and return to oven. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 more minutes (until cheese is melted and bubbly). Remove from oven and allow to stand 10 minutes.
Serves 3.