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Spinach Tofu Manicotti

A vegetarian manicotti filled with spinach and tofu, baked with marinara, mozzarella, parmesan, nutmeg, and butter.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Spinach Tofu Manicotti

Oven350°F
Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the spinach

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and season the boiling water generously with salt.

  2. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season the ice water with salt.

  3. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.

  4. Remove the spinach with a slotted spoon (do not drain) and immediately plunge it into the ice water.

  5. Drain the spinach, then squeeze the excess water from it.

  6. Finely chop the spinach.

  7. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, squeeze it and finely chop it.

Cook the pasta

  1. In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, tender but still slightly firm.

  2. Drain the pasta shells and pat them dry.

Fill and bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara sauce.

  3. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the tofu, mozzarella, 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, and the spinach.

  4. Season the mixture with 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste.

  5. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shells and line the filled shells up in the baking dish.

  6. Cover with the remaining marinara sauce and scatter the remaining cheese on top.

  7. Dot with the butter and bake for 30 minutes.

  8. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

594Calories
38 gProtein
41 gFat
18 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Ricotta Cheese1/2 cup (124g) part-skim174
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Tofu100g firm76
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Mozzarella cheese + parmesan cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,093 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Spinach + nutmegtop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together603 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Spinach + tofutop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  4. Spinach + peppertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,400 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

  5. Nutmeg + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together13,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Manicotti
Hollow tubes that hold the filling and keep its shape while baking.
Firm tofu
Crumbled, it stands in for ricotta, giving a soft, creamy filling body.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts and stretches, binding the filling and adding a gooey texture.
Parmesan cheese
Adds savory, salty depth and helps the top brown as it bakes.
Spinach
Adds color, earthy flavor, and leafy texture to the filling.
Marinara sauce
Keeps the pasta moist during baking and adds acidity and tomato flavor.

The step that matters

Squeezing the spinach dry. Spinach holds a lot of water. Leaving it wet thins the tofu and cheese filling and can make the baked dish soggy, so squeeze it thoroughly before chopping and mixing.

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (spinach, sauce, tofu, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pepper):

  1. Basilfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Garlicfits better
  4. Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against spinach, sauce, tofu, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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