Healthy Diet

Vegan Stuffed Shells | Dietitian Debbie Dishes

December 2, 2022

Created On: December 1, 2022 | By Debbie | 1 Comment

This vegan stuffed shells recipe transforms the standard consolation meals dish stuffed with cheese right into a yummy meal that anybody can take pleasure in! You’ll make a fast tofu ricotta for these jumbo shells after which prime along with your favourite pasta sauce and a vegan mozzarella.

You will love this vegan-ized model of the traditional consolation meals recipe, stuffed shells! We love serving this when the climate is chilly throughout the fall and winter months. It’s makes for a scrumptious and comparatively straightforward meal when paired with a easy steamed vegetable on the aspect or a salad like this lemony kale caesar.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

There’s no chopping concerned on this recipe! Love once I don’t have to clean my chopping board.
Not like a whole lot of stuffed shells recipes, the tofu ricotta for these shells wants no cashews.
Nice for meal prep since one recipe can feed a crowd and leftovers reheat effectively. I like packing these in my lunch for work.
Freezer pleasant so excellent if you wish to save leftovers for future use.
This recipe is vegan, dairy free, egg free, nut free, and might simply be made gluten free too.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

vegan stuffed shells ingredients in bowls with labels.

Jumbo pasta shells: Probably the most tedious a part of making shells is the stuffing. Save your self some headache through the use of jumbo sized shells. I take advantage of about 20 shells for this recipe since that matches effectively in my 8″x11″ baking dish. Be certain that to prepare dinner a couple of additional shells in case some break!
Pasta sauce: Use your favourite jarred or canned pasta sauce to make this recipe even easier. You might additionally use a do-it-yourself sauce for those who desire – my small batch tomato sauce can be scrumptious with these!
Tofu: Agency or additional agency tofu is finest for the do-it-yourself spinach ricotta for these shells. No must press it for this recipe, the additional moisture is required for the ricotta. For a shortcut, you might buy a vegan ricotta. There are a couple of completely different ones one the market now, however I haven’t had the possibility to strive any out.
Dietary Yeast: Provides some “cheesiness” to the vegan ricotta stuffing.
Pink Wine Vinegar: Provides some acidity to the ricotta to steadiness out the flavour. You may also use recent squeezed lemon juice.
Spinach: For simplicity, I used thawed frozen spinach for the filling. You might additionally use recent spinach (one 5 oz bag for this recipe) – simply add to a skillet with slightly olive oil and sauté till wilted. You wish to keep away from utilizing uncooked spinach within the filling as a result of it may possibly get too watery when baking.
Vegan Cheese: Crank up the consolation issue with some vegan mozzarella sprinkled on prime of the shells earlier than baking. I actually just like the vegan mozzarella shreds from VioLife as they soften properly. You may also add some vegan parmesan too – right here’s my favourite homemade vegan parmesan recipe!

See recipe card under for a full record of components and measurements.

Step by Step

Step One: Deliver a big pot of generously salted water to a boil on the stovetop. Add shells and prepare dinner to al dente in line with bundle instructions. (Mine took about 8 minutes for jumbo shells).

Step Two: In the meantime, make your tofu ricotta by including the tofu, dietary yeast, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and pink wine vinegar to a meals processor. Puree till easy. Stir in thawed frozen spinach and put aside.

vegan tofu ricotta in bowl with thawed spinach stirred in.

Step Three: Add frozen spinach to the microwave to thaw. Add ricotta to the thawed spinach and stir.

thin layer of sauce and pasta shells in baking dish.

Step 4: Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the underside of your baking dish. Fill along with your cooked shells. (I used about 20 jumbo shells.)

shells in baking dish filled with tofu ricotta.

Step 5: Use a spoon or a piping bag to fill every shell with the tofu ricotta.

stuffed shells, sauce, and cheese in baking dish before baking.

Step Six: Spoon the remainder of the sauce over the shells and sprinkle with vegan shredded mozzarella cheese. Cowl with foil and bake.

baked stuffed shells in baking dish garnished with fresh parsley.

Step Seven: Garnish with chopped parsley or basil to serve.

Stuffed Shells Suggestions:

Stuff the shells extra effectively: Filling your shells with the ricotta can get a bit messy so do this trick! Add your tofu ricotta to a piping bag or gallon measurement Ziplock bag with one of many corners minimize off. You’ll be able to then simply pipe the filling into the shells.
Prepare dinner a couple of additional shells: Regardless of how mild you attempt to be, a couple of of your shells will seemingly break when cooking. I typically throw in an additional 5 shells or so when cooking simply in case.
Cowl your shells: You’ll wish to cowl your stuffed shells with aluminum foil for the primary a part of the baking time in order that they don’t get too crispy/crunchy. You may also keep away from crisp edges by evenly spooning the sauce excessive of the shells earlier than baking.

What to serve with Vegan Stuffed Shells

Serve these vegan shells with a salad, steamed veggies, or roasted veggies. Whereas the shells are baking, it’s straightforward sufficient to steam a little bit of broccoli or inexperienced beans on the stovetop. You might even roast a pan of veggies within the oven similtaneously the shells. We love this oven roasted cabbage recipe. There are such a lot of great salad options that might be scrumptious! Listed below are a couple of of my favorites for pairing with these stuffed shells: kale apple walnut salad, lemon kale caesar salad, white bean pesto salad with arugula, strawberry spinach salad.

Make Forward and Storage

Make Forward: Put together shells as directed within the recipe till the baking step. Wrap tightly and retailer within the fridge for 1-2 days earlier than baking. You may also freeze for as much as 3 months till you’re able to bake. To bake from frozen, add an additional 20-Half-hour to the baking time.
Fridge: Permit leftover cooked shells to chill to room temperature earlier than storing within the fridge lined or in an hermetic container. Leftovers will maintain for as much as 3 days. To reheat, add single portion to the microwave and prepare dinner till sizzling. You may also reheat the entire dish within the oven at 350 levels for 10-Quarter-hour or till warmed by.
Freezer: Permit cooked shells to chill to room temperature after which retailer within the baking dish after wrapping it tightly or switch particular person parts in containers to freeze. Shells might be frozen for as much as 3 months.

Recipe FAQs

How do I make stuffed shells gluten free?

Make this recipe gluten free with only one swap – use gluten free pasta as an alternative of conventional pasta shells.

Do it’s a must to boil the pasta shells earlier than baking?

As you’ll see within the recipe card under, we advocate cooking the shells to al dente earlier than baking. There may be not sufficient liquid for the shells to prepare dinner whereas within the oven in order that they should be boiled first. Be certain that to prepare dinner till al dente (about 1-2 minutes lower than the complete prepare dinner time on the bundle).

How do I thaw the frozen spinach?

I simply pop the frozen spinach for the shell filling within the microwave for a minute or two to thaw. Squeeze or drain off any extra moisture if wanted earlier than including the spinach to your ricotta filling. You may also add the frozen spinach to a advantageous mesh strainer and run underneath sizzling water till thawed.

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