Broccoli Manicotti with Burrata
Total Time
1 hour and 35 minutes
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
4.7 out of 5 stars
(14)
Ingredients
6 servings
- 12 ounces broccoli florets (about 6 cups raw)
- ——-
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4-6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices ( or crushed or whole)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup, honey or sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning ( or thyme or oregano)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ——-
- 15-ounces whole milk ricotta (or make the vegan tofu ricotta), 2 cups
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (plus more for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup shredded romano or parmesan (or vegan parm)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (or vegan mozzarella)
- —
- 12 uncooked manicotti shells (7 ounces)
- 2 burrata balls- optional, but delicious.
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400F
Step 2
Steam the broccoli
Step 3
until just barely tender, (not too soft!) cool and chop.
Step 4
Saute
Step 5
At the same time, in a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute onion 3-4 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, lower heat to medium and saute until golden and tender, 4-5 minutes.
Step 6
Divide.
Step 7
Place half of the sauteed onions/garlic mixture in a blender (for the sauce) and the other half in a medium bowl (for the filling).
Step 8
Blend the tomato sauce:
Step 9
Add the canned tomatoes (and their juices) to the blender, (with 1/2 of the sauteed onions),water, salt, maple, Italian seasoning, and olive oil. Blend until smooth, set aside.
Step 10
Make the filling
Step 11
Chop up the steamed broccoli and add it to the bowl with the onions. Add the ricotta, egg, basil, lemon zest, salt, pepper, nutmeg and stir with a fork. Add the cheeses. If going the vegan route, taste for salt and pepper, adding more if you like. Place the broccoli filling in a large piping bag ( or large zip lock bag- cutting off the corner to fit inside the manicotti).
Step 12
Assemble
Step 13
Coat the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with olive oil. Pour half the tomato sauce to cover the bottom (about 1 3/4 cups). Using the piping bag, generously fill 12 uncooked, dry, manicotti shells (getting filling all the way to the middle) and nestle in the sauce. Dot the edges of the manicotti with the extra filling. Cover with the remaining sauce. It will seem a little runny but the uncooked manicotti will soak up much of the moisture here. Dot with any remaining filling if you like. Top with optional Burrata Cheese. Cover tightly with foil.
Step 14
Bake 50 minutes at 400 F. Uncover, test that manicotti is tender (check with a sharp knife) then bake 10 more minutes, or until beautifully golden.
Step 15
Garnish with basil ribbons.
Step 16
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