An Italian classic with a twist! These vegan stuffed shells are bursting with creamy dairy-free ricotta and baked in velvety butternut squash sauce. Perfect for holiday dinners, or any occasion worthy of some serious vegan comfort food!
- 3 pounds butternut squash, diced (½ inch, about 6 cups)
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 7 ounces extra firm tofu, drained (half of a 14 ounce package)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 6 ounces dried jumbo pasta shells (18 - 20 shells - half of a 12 ounce box)
- 1 ½ cups light coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley and/or sage, optional
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Preheat the oven to 400°.
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Place the onions and squash on a large baking sheet or in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil until coated.
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Roast the squash and onion for about 30 minutes, until tender, flipping about halfway through. Leave the oven on when you remove the baking sheet.
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While the squash and onions roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.
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Drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot. Toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
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Place the cashews, onion, garlic, and ¼ cup of milk into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
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Blend to a smooth paste, then drizzle in another ¼ cup of milk.
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Break the tofu into a few chunks and add it to the food processor, along with the lemon juice, salt, and sage. Pulse until the mixture takes on a chunky, ricotta-like consistency.
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Transfer the ricotta to a bowl. When the butternut squash and onion mixture comes out of the oven, gently stir 1 cup of it into the ricotta.
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Wipe out the food processor bowl fill it with the remaining butternut squash and onion mixture.
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Add the coconut milk, nutmeg and salt. Blend until smooth.
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Ladle about ⅔ of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
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Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into each shell, then place the shells into the baking dish.
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Cover and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated throughout.
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Warm the remaining sauce up on the stove. You can thin it a bit if you like (I like to use the last little bit of coconut milk in my can for this).
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Divide the shells onto plates and top with the sauce. Garnish with parsley and sage if you like. Serve.