Stuffed Shells with “Ricotta”

Stuffed Shells with “Ricotta” is the ultimate comfort food dish, this delicious version is vegan and oil-free!

Don’t these Stuffed Shells with “Ricotta” look SO good! They were a huge hit and disappeared very quickly. How can ricotta be vegan? Easy! I used a combination of:

• cashews
• tofu
• nutritional yeast
• lemon juice
• fresh herbs
• spices

The result is a protein-packed plant-based version of classic ricotta.

It’s easy to whip up your own marinara sauce but if you’re running tight on time you could always use a store-bought version. Just make sure it’s oil-free.

Jumbo shells can be hard to find in the supermarket. Buying them online is a useful option, I find these from Ronzoni work very well.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes. You can also make it in stages. The “ricotta” can be made and stored in the fridge for 2 days before use, as can the marinara sauce. If you prefer you can boil the shells to “al dente” and assemble the dish, cover, and store it in the fridge overnight before baking.

It’s also great for using as a filling for sandwiches and adding to salads.

What equipment do I need to make Stuffed Shells with “Ricotta?”

• a high-speed blender
• oven-proof baking dish

I hope you love these stuffed shells! If you do make them please take a picture and share it on Instagram and I’ll repost it on my stories. I’d love to hear from you, please leave a comment and rate the recipe! Thanks so much and happy cooking:)

Stuffed Shells with “Ricotta”

• Author: The Well Fed Yogi
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: dinner
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 packet jumbo pasta shells

For the filling:

8 oz firm tofu

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

1 cup water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Zest and juice of a lemon

1/4 cup very finely chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

For the Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup vegetable broth

4 cloves garlic, minced

1, 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoon dried savory herbs

2 teaspoons date or maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. To make the Marinara sauce, heat the vegetable broth in a medium pot add the garlic, and cook, stirring well for 1-2 minutes, don’t let it burn. Pour in the tomatoes, dried herbs, maple or date syrup, and red pepper flakes. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
3. To make the filling place the cashews, water, nutritional yeast, zest, and lemon juice in a high-speed blender and blitz until very smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Crumble the tofu into the cashew mixture, add the black pepper, finely chopped parsley, and red pepper flakes, stir well to combine.
4. Cook the jumbo pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water until still quite firm. They will be baked in the oven so need to be quite “al dente” at this point. Drain.
5. Coat the bottom of a baking pan with about 1 cup of the marinara sauce, place the stuffed shells over, sprinkle over a handful of toasted pine nuts, pour over the rest of the marinara sauce.
6. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and place it on a baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until bubbly and the shells are soft.
7. Serve sprinkled with more chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts.

Keywords: Stuffed Shells with "Ricotta"