Vegan Stuffed Shells
These vegan stuffed shells are filled with a creamy tofu ricotta made with white miso, nutritional yeast, and fresh basil, then baked in marinara until bubbly. Nut-free, make-ahead friendly, and the kind of dinner that works for the whole table, whether they're vegan or not.
Servings 6 -8 servings
Calories 404kcal
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce package jumbo shells
- olive oil
- 1 14-16-ounce package firm tofu drained well
- ½ cup non-dairy milk unflavored and unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 ½ cups frozen spinach thawed
- ¼ cup fresh basil torn and packed
- 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese or shredded vegan parmesan, optional
Instructions
- Boil the shells in a large pot of heavily salted water. Drain well and remove any broken shells — it’s okay if a few rip, you won’t be using all the shells. Gently toss the shells with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- While the shells cook, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the drained tofu, non-dairy milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, miso paste, salt, black pepper, and garlic clove to a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, spinach, and fresh basil. Pulse a few times until combined but not fully pureed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour ¾ of the marinara sauce into an 8x13-inch baking dish.
- Scoop or pipe 2 tablespoons of the “ricotta” filling into each shell, then gently nestle them into the marinara sauce.
- Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle with cheese if using. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.
- Let the shells cool at room temperature for 5 minutes, then enjoy hot!
Notes
- Salt the pasta water well — it's the only chance to season the shells.
- Cook the shells to al dente, not fully soft. They keep cooking in the oven.
- Squeeze the thawed spinach hard before adding it, as extra water loosens the filling.
- Season the ricotta after blending since miso saltiness varies by brand.
- It’s normal for some of the shells to rip while boiling. Cook the whole package and just pick out the good ones – you’ll need about 25 of them.
Nutrition
Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1176mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5234IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 218mg | Iron: 4mg
