This vegetable manicotti recipe is loaded with the wonderful taste of fresh vegetables to delight vegetarians, but the richness that comes from the sauce and cheese that will delight even meat eaters.
My whole family is very fond of Italian meals. We are also trying to eat a bit less meat, so Italian vegetable recipes are plentiful on my menu planning calendar right now.
We have discovered that many Italian recipes are loaded with fat and calories. Today, I’ll be making a few changes to lighten up one of our favorite Italian main course dishes.
Keep reading to find out how to make the delicious meatless recipe.
Manicotti is pasta in the shape of tubes. These large tubes hold a sauce well and are just waiting for all types of fillings to make them even more tasty!
Today, I’ll be adding fresh vegetables and ricotta cheese to pack a nutritious punch to the pasta, and then topping the with tomato sauce.
Since my herb garden is producing well right, now I’m also adding a bunch of Italian herbs to add flavor to the dish.
Vegetable Manicotti – Great Italian Sensation
The filling for the shells has a lovely sweetness to it that is just delicious. You’ll need these vegetables and herbs:
- fresh rosemary
- fresh oregano
- fresh basil
- fresh thyme
- sweet red, yellow and orange peppers
- mushrooms
- broccoli florets
The whole dish is topped with store bought Italian sauce to save on time and then sprinkled with your favorite cheese. I used Jarlsberg but any cheese will work fine.
One bite of this delicious dish and your family will ask for more. They won’t even miss the meat!
The filling is rich without being too high in calories and the extra veggies add lots of nutritional goodness.
Add some sliced avocado or a tossed salad for a very satisfying meal.
This healthy main course recipe is perfect for Meatless Mondays or for any day you crave an Italian inspired vegetable-packed meal.
For meat eaters, be sure to have a look at the meat version of this dish. It still gives the veggie boosts but adds ground beef and has a few other substitutes too.
Share this vegetable stuffed manicotti recipe on Twitter
If you enjoyed this vegetarian stuffed manicotti recipe, be sure to share it with a friend. Here is a tweet to get you started:
🌱 Elevate your dinner game with our delicious vegetable and cheese manicotti recipe! 🍅✨ It is packed with fresh veggies and herbs, creamy ricotta, and a savory tomato sauce. It's perfect for Meatless Mondays. 🍝✨ #VegetarianRecipe… Share on XPin this vegetarian manicotti recipe
Would you like a reminder of this meatless manicotti? Just pin this image to one of your recipe boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
You can also watch our video on YouTube!
Admin note: this post for homemade manicotti recipe first appeared on the blog in May of 2013. I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable recipe card, and a video for you to enjoy.
Vegetarian Manicotti - Healthy Italian Main Course Recipe
This vegetable manicotti recipe is perfect for vegetarians. The tubes are loaded with the nutrition of vegetables, and fresh herbs, and stuffed with an amazing ricotta and tomato sauce filling.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of uncooked manicotti shells.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon of fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup of sweet red, yellow and orange peppers diced
- 1 cup of diced mushrooms
- 1 cup of small broccoli florets
- 15 ounces of ricotta cheese
- 1 medium egg
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan reggiano cheese
- 14 oz marinara sauce
- 1 cup of shredded Jarlsberg cheese.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water as the box suggests.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook the onion, garlic, peppers, broccoli and mushrooms until just lightly cooked.
- Add the spices and stir to combine. Set aside
- Combine the egg with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the vegetables and stir to combine.
- Put a little of the pasta sauce in the middle of a 9 x 13" pan. Fill each manicotti shell with the vegetable mixture and place on the sauce.
- Add more sauce to the top of the filled shells and then top with the grated Jarlsberg cheese.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve with a pasta and warm crusty bread.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 526mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 17g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.
Kelsey Brunelle
Tuesday 13th of August 2019
Assuming you add the broccoli in there somewhere too.. with the other veggies lol
Carol
Friday 16th of August 2019
Thanks for letting me know of the omission in the recipe card, Kelsey. I've edited the card to add in that step.