Vegan Stuffed Shells filled with a homemade herbed high protein spinach tofu ricotta stuffing make for a crowd-pleasing comfort food dinner that is also totally kid-approved. Soy-free and nut-free options included! Makes 16-18 shells

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 65 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 6 to 7 ounces large shells (16-18 shells) (cooked according to packaging instructions)
  • 24 ounces marinara sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vegan parmesan for topping (optional)

For the ricotta filling

  • 14 oz firm tofu (pressed for 10 minutes)
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup almond flour (or use pumpkin seed meal or 2 oz more tofu for nutfree)
  • 2 teaspoons mellow miso
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil
  • 1 clove garlic (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella
  • 4 to 5 ounces of frozen spinach
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Make the pasta: Cook your shells according to packaging instructions, then drain and rinse with cold water. Add a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil and toss well, so that the oil coats the shells and they don’t dry out.
  2. Thaw the spinach if you haven’t already or microwave it for a minute. Remove some of the excess moisture and set aside.
  3. Make the filling; add the tofu, nutritional yeast, almond flour, miso, salt, pepper, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, vegan mozzarella and extra virgin olive oil to a food processor, and process until the tofu completely breaks down and the mixture is coarse mix. Then add in the spinach and pulse a couple of times.
  4. Assemble: Add half of your marinara sauce to a baking dish. Use a baking dish size that your shells fit snugly in.
  5. Fill each of the shells with the filling and place them in the marinara sauce, snugly one beside the other.
  6. Once all the shells are filled and fitted into the baking dish, drizzle the rest of the marinara sauce over the shells.
  7. Also, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of water all over and especially on the edges. Top with vegan Parmesan. You can also top with Italian herbs and pepper flakes.
  8. Then bake in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC for 25 to 30 minutes. (Cover lightly witb parchment if you like the top to stay moist)
  9. Remove from the oven, let it sit for a few minutes then scoop out the shells with some sauce and serve as is or with some garlic bread or a side salad.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.