Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

4.86 from 7 votes

Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

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!

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 455kcal

Author: Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

Roasted Veggies (For the Filling and Sauce)

3 pounds butternut squash, diced (½ inch, about 6 cups)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Vegan Ricotta Cheese

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

For the Shells

6 ounces dried jumbo pasta shells (18 - 20 shells - half of a 12 ounce box)

For the Sauce

1 ½ cups light coconut milk
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste

For Serving

Chopped fresh parsley and/or sage, optional

Instructions

Roast the Veggies

Preheat the oven to 400°.
Place the onions and squash on a large baking sheet or in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil until coated.
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.

Cook the Shells

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.
Drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot. Toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Make the Vegan Ricotta Cheese

Place the cashews, onion, garlic, and ¼ cup of milk into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.
Blend to a smooth paste, then drizzle in another ¼ cup of milk.
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.
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.

Make the Sauce

Wipe out the food processor bowl fill it with the remaining butternut squash and onion mixture.
Add the coconut milk, nutmeg and salt. Blend until smooth.

Assemble and Bake the Shells

Ladle about ⅔ of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into each shell, then place the shells into the baking dish.
Cover and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated throughout.

To Serve

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).
Divide the shells onto plates and top with the sauce. Garnish with parsley and sage if you like. Serve.

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