These vegan stuffed shells will knock your socks off! Made with rich and creamy cashew-tofu ricotta that's blended with fresh spinach, stuffed into pasta shells and smothered in a quick garlicky tomato sauce...you'd never guess they were dairy-free!
- 6 ounces dried jumbo pasta shells (about 20 shells)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 ounce or 794 gram) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ tablespoon organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn and lightly packed
- ½ cup roughly chopped onion (about ½ of a medium onion)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup unflavored and unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra firm tofu, drained and broken into 5-6 large chunks
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped and lightly packed
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook them according to the package directions.
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Drain the pasta into a colander, then return it to the pot and toss it with a few dashes of olive oil. Set aside.
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Coat the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic and sauté it with the onion 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
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Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and lower the heat.
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Allow the sauce to simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Stir in the basil and remove the sauce from the heat. Taste test and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
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Place the onion, garlic, cashews, milk and lemon juice into bowl of food processor. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
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Add the tofu, salt and pepper. Pulse the machine until a thick and slightly chunky, ricotta-like texture is achieved, again, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
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If some space remains in food processor bowl, add the spinach and pulse until finely chopped and well blended. Otherwise, transfer mixture to a bowl and stir the spinach in by hand.
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Taste-test and season the mixture with additional salt and pepper to taste.
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Preheat the oven to 400º. Coat the bottom of a 9 inch by 9 inch baking dish or 10 inch round oven-safe skillet with about half of sauce.
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Stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture and arrange them in a single layer in the baking dish or skillet. Top with the remaining sauce.
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Cover and bake the shells for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly.
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Remove the shells from the oven and allow them to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
If you'd like to use jarred tomato sauce for this recipe you'll need about 3 cups.