Stuffed Shells

If you are an Italian food lover like me, then you likely know that Italian food is so much more than just pizza and pasta bolognese. One of those Italian inspired dishes I fell in love with is marinara covered and baked Stuffed Shells. It is another hit from The Friendly Vegan Cookbook that I wrote with my friend, Michelle Cehn (founder of World of Vegan!) and I’m beyond excited to share it with you. Beware, they are slightly addictive!

Simple Recipe, Fancy Dish

This Stuffed Shells recipe is one of those super simple preparations using easy to find ingredients that ends up looking like a million bucks! The final result will look like you spent hours in the kitchen working your magic when in reality it’s only a few pulses away. Our kind of recipe for sure!

This is why these Stuffed Shells are such a good choice when it comes to hosting a dinner or lunch, you get to show off your amazing chef skills after a chilled time in the kitchen. Also, these Stuffed Shells are great for calculating portions in advance. If you calculate 3 to 4 shells per person you could serve between 8 to 6 people in one go and using only one batch of this recipe.

The Power of the Marinara

This preparation doesn’t have many tips and tricks because of its simplicity but there is one thing that can make it or break it. The tomato sauce is the life of this dish and that is why it is important to make sure it is packed with flavor.

You can buy a rich ready-made marinara (or arrabbiata) and save yourself the extra time, or you can get crafty and make a big batch of homemade marinara recipe (like the one on The Friendly Vegan Cookbook!). Prepping a big batch of homemade marinara for the week can make your weekly meals a lot more interesting.

If you have some leftover cooked shells, you can enjoy them like any other pasta, I usually like dressing them with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic powder, salt, red chili pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast.

Recommended equipment:

• Large Pot
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• My favorite knives
• Mesh Strainer
• Food Processor
• 9×13 Baking Dish or Pan

Photos by Zhoro Apostolov

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) package of jumbo pasta shells
• 1 (16-ounce) block of firm (or extra-firm) tofu, pressed
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 5 medium cloves of garlic
• 1⁄4 cup of packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon of red chili pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• Juice of 1 of a medium lemon
• 1 cup of packed spinach leaves
• 1 (25-ounce) jar of flavorful marinara sauce (or 1 batch of the recipe on page 228), divided
• 1⁄2 cup of vegan cheese shreds (optional)
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

Method