Creamy Stuffed Jumbo Shells with Soy Chorizo, Tofu and Veggies
1 (12 ounce) box jumbo shells
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil, as needed
1/2 (12 ounce) package vegan chorizo
1 medium potato, diced into very small cubes
1 large carrot, diced very small
1 (12 ounce) package medium firm tofu, drained and squeezed
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian herb medley (a mixture of basil, oregano, marjoram, savory, thyme, rosemary and sage)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (8 ounce) container vegan cream cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (20 ounce) jar pasta sauce (marinara or tomato basil flavor)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook your pasta shells according to the package directions. In a small pan, brown the garlic and onions in a bit of oil and add the vegan chorizo. Once the sausage gets a bit brown and kind of crispy, turn off the heat and set it aside.
2. In another larger pot or pan, brown carrots and potato in a bit of oil. Add about 1 cup water and put the lid on pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes or so until the veggies are soft. In the meantime, put drained tofu into a bowl and add the garlic powder and Italian herbs. Mix all together. Season, to taste.
3. Once the potato and carrots are tender, add the herbed tofu, vegan cream cheese and lemon juice to the pot. Season with more salt and pepper. Stir until the mixture gets all creamy and then add cooked sausage, spinach, nutritional yeast and nutmeg. Stir for a while to incorporate all ingredients and then remove from heat.
4. When jumbo shells are cooked, drain them from the water and begin to stuff them with the veggie/tofu/sausage mixture. Put a little bit of sauce on the bottom of baking dish to keep the shells from sticking to it.
5. Line up filled shells into baking dish and pour remainder of pasta sauce on top. Cover tight with foil and bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Source of recipe: I was inspired by some of the ingredients in the Cheesy Lasagna recipe on this site to make this dish using jumbo shells. The vegan chorizo and cream cheese are what makes this dish so tasty! I can't wait for you guys to try it!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I made these again last night and took a pic... Jack still says "make them every night" LOL
I made these for dinner last night. Exactly as posted, didn't need all the shells and my dish was very full! My husband kept saying, "Gloria these are delicious!" -- so wonderful, I can't wait to dig into the leftovers!
These were so awesome. I cannot recommend them highly enough. MAKE THIS RECIPE RIGHT NOW.
This was great! I omitted the potato, carrot, lime juice, yeast, and nutmeg. So, yummy! I have leftovers for tomorrow!
Oh, and I used manicotti instead of jumbo shells.
I made this recipe last night for dinner and it was great. I changed things up a little, though. I added some a fennel bulb to the onion/garlic mixture and used tons of fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage and extra basil). I didn't use soyrizo as my "meat", instead i subbed it with a Field Roast sausage (Italian flavor). I also realized I was out of lemons, so I subbed the lemon juice for some apple cider vinegar. The mixture seemed a little bland, so I added a squirt of bragg's and that made a world of difference.