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    You are here: Home / Entrees / Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells

    LAST UPDATED: January 28, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: March 27, 2017

    Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells

    These vegan stuffed shells are filled with a mix of dairy-free cashew tofu ricotta and garlicky basil pea pesto, and baked up in a creamy sauce to bubbly perfection.

    Plate of Three Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells on a Distressed Surface with Water Glass and Lemon Half

    Have I mentioned how much I absolutely love pesto? Yeah, I have. Well, here's something really cool about pesto that I've discovered since I started food blogging: you can make it out of all kinds of things. Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, garlic, and basil. But you can switch up the nuts, and often nobody will be the wiser. In fact, I often do just that, because pine nuts are a bit pricey (this recipe uses walnuts).

    Food Processor Bowl Filled with Pea Pesto

    The basil is where I tend to get a little stuck. You can substitute all kinds of herbs, greens, veggies... you name it. But the whole garlicky basil combo is basically what I really love about pesto. So while making pesto out of all kinds of crazy colorful veggies sounds like fun, I'm always a bit disappointed at the lack of basil-y flavor.

    That's where recipes like this come in. Veggies and basil go great together, so why not combine them in one seriously amazing pesto? I did this last year with kale pesto. Now I'm doing it again with pea pesto.

    Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells in a Casserole Dish with Spoon

    Peas actually work great in combination with basil pesto, because the sweetness adds a whole new layer of flavor, and they also give it a nice chunky texture.

    I thought about stuffing some shells with just pea pesto, but I thought that would be a little intense, and I'd also miss my good old vegan cashew-tofu ricotta that I love so much in recipes like this. So what I did is whip up a batch of pea pesto, then whip up a batch of ricotta, and mix half of the pea pesto in with the ricotta. The other half of the pea pesto went into a creamy sauce that the shells were baked up in.

    Close Up of Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells on a Plate

    My shells turned out to be rich, creamy, packed with flavor, and just a bit of sweetness, thanks to the peas. They made for a very comforting dinner that was perfect for the early days of spring.

    Plate of Three Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells on a Distressed Surface with Water Glass and Lemon Half
    5 from 1 vote
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    Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells

    These vegan stuffed shells are filled with a mix of dairy-free cashew tofu ricotta and garlicky basil pea pesto, and baked up in a creamy sauce to bubbly perfection.
    Course Entree
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 35 minutes
    Total Time 55 minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 501 kcal
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    • 6 ounces jumbo pasta shells, about 24 shells

    For the Pea Pesto:

    • 3 cups frozen peas, thawed
    • 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves, about 1 bunch
    • ¾ cup chopped walnuts
    • ⅓ cup olive oil
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

    For the Vegan Ricotta

    • ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed and drained
    • ¾ cup unflavored soy or almond milk
    • ½ pound extra firm tofu, broken into 3-4 chunks
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    For the Sauce:

    • 1 ¼ cups unflavored soy or almond milk
    • 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions

    1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the shells and cook according to package directions. Drain into a colander, return shells to the pot and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
    2. While the shells boil, make the pesto. Place peas, basil, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic into a food processor bowl and pulse until finely chopped and well mixed. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Scoop the mixture into a bowl.
    3. Next make the ricotta. Place the cashews and milk into the food processor bowl (no need to clean it out first). Blend until smooth. Add the tofu and onion, and pulse until the mixture has a chunky, ricotta-like texture. Add in half of the pea pesto and pulse again just to mix the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    4. Preheat the oven to 375°.
    5. Gather a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Make the sauce by whisking the milk and flour together, right in the baking pan. Add all but about ½ cup of the remaining pea pesto and stir until blended.
    6. Fill the pasta shells with the ricotta-pea pesto mixture and place them in the baking dish with the sauce.
    7. Cover the dish and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 minutes more, until the sauce thickens and just begins to bubble.
    8. Divide shells onto plates and top with reserved pea pesto and additional red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve.
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Pea Pesto Stuffed Shells
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 501 Calories from Fat 285
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 31.7g49%
    Saturated Fat 4.3g22%
    Sodium 484mg20%
    Potassium 476mg14%
    Carbohydrates 40.8g14%
    Fiber 7g28%
    Sugar 7.3g8%
    Protein 18.9g38%
    Calcium 110mg11%
    Iron 4.9mg27%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jennifer says

      March 27, 2017 at 7:31 pm

      I've never used pinenuts in pesto because my sister is allergic. Which is funny because so many people say how unique and edgy their pesto is because they use walnuts and I am just like "wait there ISN'T walnuts in pesto?"

      This recipe looks super tasty.

      Reply
    2. Rhonda says

      April 17, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      I’m eating this right now and it is sooooo good!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        April 18, 2019 at 2:52 pm

        I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

        Reply
    3. Galen Woods says

      August 29, 2020 at 7:47 pm

      5 stars
      This was a top-tier dinner. Delicious.

      Reply
    4. Lauren Wickliff says

      September 09, 2020 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks again Alissa for another wonderful warm vegan/cruelty free comfort food creation (esp on this day that feels almost like winter due to the cold temps and light snow here in Denver, CO). I substituted kale leaves because Natural Grocers and another store near me where I did a pickup order from were out of basil leaves. Then I put FYH parmesan cheez on top and had vegan garlic bread as well. :-) Because ALL animals lives matter and not causing future pandemics does too! Be vegan.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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