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5 from 23 votes

Vegan Stuffed Shells with Tofu Spinach Ricotta

Vegan Stuffed Shells filled with a homemade herbed high protein spinach tofu ricotta stuffing make for a crowd-pleasing comfort food dinner that is also totally kid-approved. Soy-free and nut-free options included! Makes 16-18 shells
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: vegan pasta bake, vegan stuffed shells
Servings: 6
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

  • 6 to 7 ounces large shells (16-18 shells) cooked according to packaging instructions
  • 24 ounces marinara sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vegan parmesan for topping optional

For the ricotta filling

  • 14 oz firm tofu pressed for 10 minutes
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup almond flour or use pumpkin seed meal or 2 oz more tofu for nutfree
  • 2 teaspoons mellow miso
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella
  • 4 to 5 ounces of frozen spinach
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Make the pasta: Cook your shells according to packaging instructions, then drain and rinse with cold water. Add a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil and toss well, so that the oil coats the shells and they don’t dry out.
  • Thaw the spinach if you haven’t already or microwave it for a minute. Remove some of the excess moisture and set aside.
  • Make the filling; add the tofu, nutritional yeast, almond flour, miso, salt, pepper, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, vegan mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil to a food processor, and process until the tofu completely breaks down and the mixture is coarse mix. Then add in the spinach and pulse a couple of times.
  • Assemble: Add half of your marinara sauce to a baking dish. Use a baking dish size that your shells fit snugly in.
  • Fill each of the shells with the filling and place them in the marinara sauce, snugly one beside the other.
  • Once all the shells are filled and fitted into the baking dish, drizzle the rest of the marinara sauce over the shells.
  • Also, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of water all over and especially on the edges. Top with vegan Parmesan. You can also top with Italian herbs and pepper flakes.
  • Then bake in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC for 25 to 30 minutes. (Cover lightly witb parchment if you like the top to stay moist)
  • Remove from the oven, let it sit for a few minutes then scoop out the shells with some sauce and serve as is or with some garlic bread or a side salad.

Video

Notes

  • Make ahead: make the ricotta filling ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days and only assemble the shells when ready to bake and serve.
  • make ahead : you can also assemble Everythjng g and refrigerate upto overnight to bake and serve when needed the next day 
  • To make it soy free use 1 cup soaked cashews Instead of tofu
  • Nutfree: Instead of almond flour, you can use pumpkin seed meal or 2 oz more tofu for nutfree
  • Use frozen spinach for best results . You can user other greens of choice or omit if you don’t like spinach
  • Glutenfree: use Gluten-free shells 

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2416IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 5mg