Looking for a pasta dinner to whip up? Try out this vegan stuffed shells recipe. A jumbo shell that is stuffed with a creamy tofu and spinach filling and topped with tomato sauce and fresh basil.
This vegan pasta is great for a weeknight dinner or a party worthy meal. Whip it up and watch everyone reach for seconds. If you love pasta try out my vegan lasagna recipe too.
Here are 25 more vegan and vegetarian recipes to look through. I am always looking for new recipes to try out. Or if you want just vegan pasta recipes I got you covered too.
This Vegan Stuffed Shells Recipe Is...
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Dairy Free
- Make Ahead Friendly
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells
Full steps on how to make vegan stuffed shells are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a quick walk through on how to make these easy shells.
- Preheat the oven and prep your baking dish.
- Cook your pasta as directed on the box. Once done drain and set aside.
- Next work on the filling of the pasta. Add items in a blender and mix until creamy and smooth.
- Stir in the spinach and then stuff the mixture into each shell.
- Drizzle with tomato sauce and bake as directed.
- Once done, sprinkle with basil and serve warm.
Helpful Tips For Making Vegan Stuffed Shells
High Speed Blender
When you are mixing up the tofu filling using a high speed blender is key. It will help ensure the mixture is creamy. Make sure to scrape down the sides as you blend to ensure it fully incorporates.
Tomato Sauce
I like to add the tomato sauce to the bottom of the pan as well as placing on top of the shells. It helps to add a bit more flavor to the shells.
Spinach
Make sure that you squeeze out the excess liquid in the tofu. You will find that if you don't squeeze out the excess water it will make the tofu become too watery.
Variations to Vegan Stuffed Shells
Homemade Tomato Sauce
Skip canned and learn how to make homemade tomato sauce. It will enhance the flavor quite a bit. We do this often when I whip up these stuffed shells.
Grated Vegan Mozzarella
To make the stuffed shells even more fancy add on some grated vegan mozzarella on top for the last 15 minutes. This is going to help give it more flavor and a fancy appearance.
Fresh Spinach
Go right ahead and chop up fresh spinach and use in replace to frozen spinach. This is a great swap and will still give you tons of flavor to your pasta.
Cashew Ricotta
You can also buy cashew ricotta which is a vegan ricotta cheese to use instead of using a tofu mixture if you would like.
Vegan Stuffed Shells FAQs
What is the best way to stuff shells?
You can pour the mixture into a Ziploc bag and then cut the tip off and pipe it in the shells. Or you can easily use a spoon to fill these shells.
Why do stuffed shells tear?
The shells will tear if you overcook them when you go to fill them with the tofu filling. Just cook the shells as directed and then bake as directed.
How to store leftover stuffed shells?
These shells can store for up to 5 days in the fridge. You can then warm them up in the microwave or cover with foil and reheat in the oven.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 18 jumbo shells
- 1 16 oz. block of medium firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 5 oz. block frozen spinach, thawed and excess moisture squeezed out
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon julienned basil, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the shells and cook according to package instructions, drain and set aside
- In a high speed blender, add the tofu, lemon juice, chopped parsley, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt
- Blend until smooth
- Add the spinach into the tofu mixture
- Stir the spinach carefully into the tofu mix and set aside
- Pour two cups of tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish
- Scoop the tofu filling into the shells, and place each into the baking dish
- Drizzle remaining tomato sauce on top of shells, bake in preheated oven 40-45 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and shells are heated through
- Sprinkle with basil and serve warm
Notes
- The filling is smooth and creamy, and emulates the texture of ricotta perfectly, with only a slight tofu taste
- I use a paper towel to squeeze the spinach, it should feel dry to the touch otherwise the filling may turn out too liquidy
- To make this dish even fancier you can top with some grated vegan mozzarella in the last 15 minutes of baking
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