Vegan Stuffed Shells
1 container extra-firm tofu
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
dash of nutmeg
vidalia onion (or other sweet onion), chopped
2 boxes of frozen spinach, or the fresh equivalent
3 cloves garlic, 4 if you like garlic
at least 5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large jar spaghetti sauce or fresh made
1 box pasta jumbo shells
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
Place 3/4 of the Tofu in a Food Processor or Blender and add 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil, a pinch of Nutmeg, nutritional yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Blend until smooth. Mash the remaining Tofu into the Blended mixture that resembles Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese. Set aside.
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté the onion in a little Olive Oil till it becomes translucent, but not browned then add the garlic and sauté for just a minute more. If using frozen spinach just defrost the spinach do not cook. If using fresh spinach steam until the spinach is wilted about 2 minutes in boiling water. Make sure in both instances to squeeze out all of the excess liquid. Add the spinach, onion and seasonings to the Ricotta mixture and set aside. Can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 24 hours.
In a large pot boil the Shells as directed on the package. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool off enough to handle them. Place enough spaghetti sauce on the bottom of an 8 X 12 baking dish just to cover. Stuff the shells with the Ricotta mixture. When you are done stuffing the shells place the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
These were really good, my husband couldn't believe there wasn't any cheese it in! I used Tofutti ricotta cheese instead of making my own and only one package of spinach but everything else was the same. I also like to use Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce
I followed the instructions and changed one thing only. I used fresh kale instead of spinach. I am the only vegan in a family of 5. My son, youngest daughter, and husband at least always TRY something I make. My middle child who is 15 and completely anti vegan...she wants her food her way..boggle...anyway, SHE LOVED IT!!!! Could not stop eating it! I said, wow. This will make for a good review of ;)b dinner.
I blended the spinach into the filling to make it easier for my daughter to eat(she's not into leaves). She loved the filling, and m husband said it was one of the best meals I ever made. I thought it needed more salt and more sauce. 1 jar wasn't enough. I need to mess with the spices, but I'll probably make it again. Would this freeze well?
I have made this several time for non-veg people, always with great success! I usually stick pretty close to the directions, but I made some changes today...first, instead of shells, I layered it like a lasagna (less time consuming). This is how I layered it...Noodles, layer of tofu "ricotta," layer of NY sauce, layer of sauteed onions and peppers, layer of tomato sauce, repeat for another layer. It's fabulous.
can someone who has made this before please tell me how many jumbo shells are in one box? At the co-op where I work they sell the jumbo shells in bulk, not in boxes. Thank you
humm, most of the pasta i find at the store (dry stuff, not fresh) doesn't have eggs in it. some of the new ones they have in the US (that are "healthy" for you, with omega oils or whatever) have eggs. you just have to read the label. it isn't hard to find vegan pasta anywhere i've been.
Same here. There's only one brand of pasta in the stores I shop at that has egg in it. Everything else just leaves it out. You don't need egg replacer of anything.
Amazing! I added sauted mushrooms and cherry tomatoes on top of the pasta shells before I covered in sauce, other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. The only thing I would say is the filling didn't go very far. I think next time I will double the "ricotta" mixture. This receipe will become one of our regulars for sure! I also served it with homemade garlic bread...extra tasty!
Excellent twist on lasagna, and so much healthier without real cheese! Loved the tofu "ricotta" mix!
Some minor modifications:
3 large mushrooms, chopped, instead of spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil instead of 5 Tbsp
Italian Chunky Tomato Sauce
mix of bowtie and spiral whole grain pastas
Boiled pasta first. Preheated oven a little later, after most of the chopping and prepping done, to conserve energy.
Added squash to onions and sauteed a few minutes, and then added mushrooms and garlic and sauteed a bit longer.
Didn't stuff, because didn't have pasta shells; we just layered the sauce, then pasta, followed by the tofu mix, and then sauteed vegetables. We repeated again and then ended with some sauce on top.
Baked 15-20 minutes at an oven temp of 350 degrees F. (our oven is screwy and gets too hot)
Overall, this recipe was excellent, and we will be making this again! It was less time consuming than regular lasagna, but it still took some time though. Different additions could include spinach, zucchini, fresh chopped tomatoes, and bell peppers. Also, we could add fresh basil leaves to the tofu mix. Next time it would be nice to actually try the stuffed shells and maybe more nutritional yeast. The lasagna had such a great flavor, and we could not tell that the tofu was not ricotta!
Thanks, lkshep
I agree! This is a very versatile recipe! I added vegan sausage to the tofu ricotta stuffing for flavor. Fennel is a great spice to add as well. It was super easy to make and very filling. Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious and cheap! Will make it often. ;)
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