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Easy vegan stuffed jumbo shells with spinach.

Vegan Stuffed Shells

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven + Blender
  • Cuisine: Italian -Inspired

Description

  • Vegan Stuffed Shells – an easy and delicious plant-based meal your whole family will love!!

Ingredients

Scale

Dairy-Free Ricotta:

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 block firm tofu
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Califia Farms Oat Milk
  • 9oz package frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out as much liquid as possible 

Other Ingredients:

  • 16 jumbo shells (regular or gluten-free)
  • 16oz of your favorite marinara
  • (optional) fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • (optional) dairy-free cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Place raw cashews in a heat-safe bowl. Bring 2 cups of water to boil and pour over cashews. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (this helps them blend up more easily).
  3. Cook shells according to package instructions, but cook about 1 minute less so they are very al dente.  They will finish cooking in the oven. Remove and set on a plate to cool a bit.
  4. Meanwhile, drain cashews and add to high-speed blender along with the tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, kosher salt, ground black pepper and oat milk.  Blend on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.  Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.  Add additional splashes of oat milk if needed.
  5. Pour ricotta mixture into a medium-sized bowl and mix in the spinach.
  6. Set out a 10×7 (or similar sized) casserole dish and add 1/2 your marinara sauce to the bottom. One by one, take a spoon the ricotta mixture into the shells, nestling them into the marinara sauce. Cover with remaining marinara.
  7. Feel free to cover with dairy-free cheese, if desired.
  8. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling.
  9. If you added cheese, remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
  10. Serve with fresh basil, if desired.

Notes

  • Homemade Marinara Sauce: I used my homemade marinara sauce for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever you prefer.
  • Double it: This is a perfect recipe to double – I do it all the time!
  • Gluten-Free: Feel free to use gluten-free pasta shells or regular.
  • Leftover Tofu: If you don’t double this recipe and have leftover tofu, I highly recommend this recipe for a Tofu + Brown Rice + Veggie Bowl! So good!
  • Add Cheese: Here is a nice round-up of some of the best dairy-free cheeses if you want to add some on top!