Vegan Stuffed Shells
This Vegan Stuffed Shells recipe is a protein-rich comfort food your family will crave! It's made simple with tofu and flavorful aromatics and herbs. This easy stuffed shells recipe delivers big smiles and full bellies when served up for meals. It’s definitely a vegan baked pasta dish the whole family will love.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 335kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package of jumbo pasta shells
- 1 (16-ounce) block of extra-firm tofu pressed
- 1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup of packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- ¾ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- ¼ 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
- ½ cup of vegan cheese shreds optional
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook the jumbo pasta shells according to the prebake cooking directions on the package. Then drain, rinse with cold water to prevent sticking, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the tofu, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, red chili pepper flakes (if using), nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Pulse 15 times or until partially mixed. Add the spinach and pulse just a few more times until combined. The resulting texture should be ricotta-like. Do not overpulse or your ricotta will turn green!
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pour half of the marinara sauce into a 9 × 13 inch baking dish, spreading to evenly coat the bottom of the dish.
- One by one, fill each cooked shell with a generous spoonful of the tofu ricotta filling and place in the prepared baking dish. Continue until the tofu mixture is gone and the baking dish is filled. Sprinkle the vegan cheese (if using) on top.
- Drizzle the remaining marinara sauce over the stuffed shells. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the vegan cheese (if using) is melted and the edges of the shells are lightly browned. Garnish with the basil leaves (if using). Serve immediately and enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
- Families and large groups. These stuffed spinach shells are a perfect recipe to make for a family dinner and are easy to make to feed a larger group.
- Don't overcook the pasta. As a matter of fact, it’s a good idea to even undercook them a bit.
- Rinse the pasta. After cooking in order to avoid the shells sticking together.
- Use a piping bag. Makes adding the tofu filling to the shells easier.
- Choose a good marinara. The tomato sauce is the life of this dish and that is why it is important to make sure it is packed with flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 1486mg | Potassium: 727mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1071IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 4mg
