Mushroom, Spinach, and Tofu-Stuffed Shells
1 box large pasta shells
frozen spinach, defrosted
1 package silken tofu
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
oregano to taste
salt and pepper to taste
10 mushrooms, diced
oil for pan
1 large jar pasta sauce
vegan mozzarella
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil shells for a few minutes, not cooking thoroughly. Strain and fill pot back up with cool water and soak the shells until ready for use.
2. Mix spinach, tofu, nutritional yeast, oregano, and salt and pepper in a bowl or blender (the blender makes it creamier, like actual ricotta). Stir in mushrooms.
3. Rub some oil on the bottom of a 9 x 12 casserole dish. Fill each shell with ricotta-mushroom mixture and place in dish. Cover with half the can of pasta sauce.
4. Fill remaining half of pasta jar with water, shake, and pour into dish. Repeat with small amounts of water until jar is clean. The water helps the pasta cook all the way through.
5. Cook for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Grate vegan mozzarella over the top and cook for ten more minutes.
Source of recipe: I created this recipe based on another pasta dish I make all of the time.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I made this last night and it was wonderful, i didn't take a picture just because it looked the same as the one that is already up! I followed the recipe but did make a few mistakes because this isn't something I've ever had before, vegan or not.
I was stuffing the shells and saw all the filling I had and started thinking 'oh my word, I'm going to have so much left!' so I started really stuffing the shells then I got through half of the shells and realised that I was going to run out! (i was left with 3 unstuffed shells!) so next time I'll know not to panic! I used 3/4 tsp of oregano but I think only 1/2 tsp was needed. I DID make one change and that was so saute the mushrooms and garlic before mixing it in and I'm glad I did this.
This was enjoyed by all the family so I shall be making it a lot, the main thing I noticed was that it is SO filling but cause it was so good both me and my husband managed to over eat! It was worth it though! Thanks for putthing this up :-D
great stuff, thank you :>
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the size of a large jar of pasta sauce? I'm in the UK so just wanted to check to see if there were any differences - also, typically how much pasta is in the pack?! Thank you!
My standard sized jar of pasta sauce is 1 lb 10 oz (28 oz, 737 grams), 1 & 1/2 cups worth.
Pasta comes in 12 to 16 oz packs.
Hello, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the size of a large jar of pasta sauce? I'm in the UK so just wanted to check to see if there were any differences - also, typically how much pasta is in the pack?! Thank you!
I used this filling to make manicotti last night. At first glance, I thought "no way this filling is going to work - it's too runny". But I persevered and used a pastry bag to squirt it into the tubes. Baked it for about 30 minutes before putting on the cheese. It was a HIT! My carnivorous husband ate it and proclaimed it delicious and my vegan daughter ate 3! Here's what I did differently:
1. I used a large bag of baby spinach, sauteed it in garlic and drained it - this I chopped and used in place of the frozen spinach.
2. I sauteed the mushroom dice until tender. Then I added it to the mix.
3. I used Italian seasoning mix instead of straight oregano.
4. The mozzarella we used was Daiya.