These easy Vegan Stuffed Shells are creamy and delicious, perfect for a cozy family dinner. They’re made with homemade tofu ricotta, and I bet no one will even be able to tell they’re vegan!
I know January is all about eating soup and salads, but it’s so cold outside right now, and cozy dinners are a must. And the best part about these Vegan Stuffed Shells is that they’re pretty healthy! They’re made with tofu ricotta cheese, so they’re low in fat, and they’re packed with veggies 🙂
These Vegan Stuffed Shells are cozy, comforting, and great for a big family dinner. I like to serve them with a big salad and garlic bread; we can usually eat them for days.
Why Your Body Will Love This Vegan Stuffed Shell Recipe
- Total Tofu – Tofu is a terrific meat-free protein source; half a cup of firm tofu contains nearly 22 grams. It’s also rich in calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, contributing to healthy bones. The isoflavones found in tofu may even prevent bone disease in women. They also reduce the not-so-great form of cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
- Full-spectrum Benefits – Zucchini is loaded with antioxidants, fiber for digestion, carotenoids for eye health, and Vitamin A for the immune system. Its seeds are also known to promote liver function.
- Folic Acid – Bell peppers are a good source of folate, also known as folic acid or vitamin B9. Folate is important for our bodies because it helps us make new cells, including red blood, brain, and skin cells. This is especially important for pregnant women, as it helps prevent birth defects and can prevent anemia, which is common in pregnancy. Interestingly, red bell peppers contain more folate than the green ones do.
What You’ll Need For This Vegan Stuffed Shells Recipe
- Jumbo Pasta Shells – You should be able to find these in the pasta aisle at the grocery store. I’ve seen gluten-free jumbo pasta shells before, but you might have to go to a natural foods store to find them. If you can’t find jumbo pasta shells anywhere, you can use manicotti instead.
- Tofu Ricotta Cheese – I’ve made both tofu and cashew-based ricotta cheeses before, and I love the texture the tofu gives. Using a tofu-based ricotta also makes the dish much lower in fat. To make my Homemade Tofu Ricotta, I use extra firm tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso paste, dried herbs, garlic powder, and salt.
- Vegetables – You can use any vegetable you like in this recipe. I chose to use bell peppers, zucchini, onion, and spinach. You can leave them out if you prefer a more traditional stuffed shell recipe.
- Tomato Sauce – Be sure to use a good-quality tomato sauce that you enjoy the taste of.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese – I like to top my vegan stuffed shells with vegan parmesan cheese. To make it, you blend raw cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and spices until the cheese resembles the size of regular parmesan cheese.
How To Make Vegan Stuffed Shells
Stuffed shells sound complicated, but they’re very easy to make.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add jumbo shells and cook according to package directions. I like to add a splash of olive oil to the water to prevent them from sticking to each other. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes, then add the spinach and cook until just wilted.
- Add all vegan ricotta ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes. If the mixture seems really thick, you can always add a tablespoon or so of almond milk or water. Add the ricotta cheese to a large bowl and mix in the cooked vegetables.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour about 3/4 of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and spread it out. Use a 1-Tablespoon scoop to put ricotta cheese into each shell noodle and then place it into the baking dish. Spoon a few teaspoons of marinara sauce over each stuffed shell and bake in the oven until the sauce is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with vegan parmesan and fresh herbs.
Soy-Free Vegan Stuffed Shells
If you can’t eat soy, you can either buy a store-bought vegan ricotta made from nuts or make a cashew-based vegan ricotta cheese. Here is a great recipe! I love nut-based vegan cheese sauces, but I really love the texture of ricotta cheese made with extra-firm tofu.
I served these to my husband, who said he couldn’t tell there wasn’t real ricotta in them. Since these shells are not covered with melted cheese, you can likely see they’re vegan, but the taste and texture are spot on!
This is a great meal to have in the freezer when you need a super easy dinner, and it’s also perfect for bringing to a friend who just had a baby or is in need of a homemade hot meal 🙂
Do you have a question about this recipe? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Delicious Pasta Dishes?
Cheesy Buffalo Butternut Squash Pasta
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Kale and Feta
Easy Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Parmesan
Lemon Broccoli Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Spicy Baked Pasta with Vegetarian Meatballs
Vegan Stuffed Shells
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 7 1x
Description
These Vegan Stuffed Shells are made with a homemade creamy tofu ricotta cheese and they taste exactly like regular stuffed shells!
Ingredients
- 1 box jumbo shells (I cooked a 12 oz box but didn’t end up using all of the shells)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium sized zucchini, small diced
- 1 large red bell pepper, small diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 packed cup chopped spinach leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce
- Optional toppings: fresh herbs, vegan parmesan cheese (recipe below)
Tofu Ricotta Cheese
- 28 ounces extra firm tofu
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons yellow miso paste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add jumbo shells and cook according to package directions. I like to add a splash of olive oil to the water to prevent them from sticking to each other. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes, and then add the spinach and cook until just wilted.
- Add all vegan ricotta ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes. If it seems really thick you can always add in a tablespoon or so of almond milk or water. Add the ricotta cheese to a large bowl and mix in the cooked vegetables.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Pour about 3/4 of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and spread out. Use a one tablespoon scoop to scoop ricotta cheese into each shell noodle and then place into the baking dish. Spoon a few teaspoons of marinara sauce over each stuffed shell and bake in the oven until sauce is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with vegan parmesan and fresh herbs.
Notes
To make vegan parmesan cheese: In a food processor, add 1/3 cup raw cashews, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, and a pinch of salt. Blend until mixture resembles parmesan cheese crumbs.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegan
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Can I omit the miso paste?
Yes 🙂