These easy Vegan Stuffed Shells are great for a weeknight dinner. They're saucy, cheesy, and loaded with ricotta but completely vegan!
Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells have a special place in my heart. I used to make these all the time growing up. It was one of those meals that I knew anyone would love even if they weren't vegan. No one ever guessed the filling was made from tofu!
These tofu ricotta shells are fun to make and perfect for a fancy at home date night. Serve with garlic bread, steamed broccoli or a side salad and a glass of wine! I hope you enjoy.
Kitchen Essentials
You'll need a few things to complete this dish but nothing too fancy. The ricotta works best if pulsed in a food processor. You can use a blender but be sure to pulse not blend or you'll end up with a cream sauce.
The cashew cream will need a blender but the cashews are boiled to soften so any blender will work. I used a Nutri-bullet. You'll also need a deep baking dish since the jumbo shells are stuffed and then baked.
Main Ingredients
- Jumbo Shells
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Cashews
- Tomato Sauce
- Onion
- Garlic
- Basil
Substitutions
- Cashews: If you have a nut allergy, don't worry! The cashew cream sauce can be omitted. It is simply a sauce that is drizzled on top before baking. I love the creaminess and flavor of cashew cream so I added it but it would be delicious without it as well. You could also add vegan parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top if desired.
Optional Add-ins:
I opted to add thinly chopped basil and spinach into the tofu ricotta. I love the added flavor the basil brings but you can omit it if you'd like. Vegan sausage, red bell peppers, and kale would be delicious mixed in as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
The tofu ricotta can be found on my recipe for Tomato Basil Pasta w/ Tofu Ricotta. Follow the last three steps.
The tofu ricotta should be pulsed in a food processor and not blended. The texture will be too smooth and creamy if blended too much. Simply pulse the mixture a few times until it comes together to avoid this.
I love serving these tofu ricotta stuffed shells with a side salad, steamed broccoli, or garlic bread.
More Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta w/ Roasted Cauliflower
- Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccine
Recipe
Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 cup Minced Sweet Onion
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cups Tomato Sauce
- ½ cup Water
- Pinch of Cane Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Cashew Cream:
- ½ cup Cashews
- ½ cup Water
- 1 teaspoon White Miso Paste
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Stuffed Shells:
- 17-20 Jumbo Shells
- 1 Batch of Tofu Ricotta
- 1 cup Spinach
- ½ cup Basil
Instructions
- Start the garlic basil tomato sauce by mincing the onion and garlic. Heat a medium sized pot on medium high heat and add the olive oil. Cook the onions until soft and starting to brown. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and water along with a pinch of cane sugar to cut the acidity and some red pepper flakes. Cover & simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
- Cook jumbo shells according to the package. You'll need about 17-20.
- Prep the tofu ricotta. Finely chop spinach and basil and stir in to the ricotta until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
- Make the cashew cream by boiling the cashews for 15 minutes. Add to a blender along with the water, miso paste, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Coat the bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce.
- Stuff each shell with tofu ricotta and place in the baking dish. Drizzle with cashew cream and tomato sauce until all the sauce is used up.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with fresh basil and enjoy!!
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