Jay loves pasta dishes with lots of tomato sauce and cheese, and here’s one recipe that never fails to make him go for seconds and even thirds: vegan stuffed shells with spinach ricotta. This is hearty, satisfying food and it’s also one-dish: you will get all the veggies and protein you will need from it. It takes a little time to stuff the shells but you can make most of this dish ahead, when you do have a little time on your hands, and assemble it in a hurry. Shell pasta, especially the large, stuffed shells, go down especially swimmingly with kids (How did you get the stuffing in the shells, mommy? Erm…because I’m a little big magic!). The shells just look fun and when they taste just as fun, you can be sure they’ll disappear before they can say “grilled cheese.”
Ingredients for vegan stuffed shells
Vegan marinara16 oz vegan “beef” or “sausage” or 3 cups cooked lentils (approx two 14-oz cans)Vegan parmesanRaw cashewsFrozen spinachOreganoGarlic powderParsleySalt and ground black pepperLarge shell pastaVegan mozzarella shreds
Tips and tricks
Much like a vegan lasagna, there are five elements in this vegan stuffed shells recipe: the pasta, the marinara sauce, the ricotta, the mozzarella and the parmesan. Everything but the pasta and the mozzarella are homemade, but it doesn’t have to be. You can, for instance, use a storebought marinara. You can also make the different elements beforehand. The vegan marinara needs five ingredients and less than five minutes of prep time. The ricotta comes together in the blender in under five minutes. The cashew parmesan is also super simple and you should always, always have some on hand because it’s just so great to toss into all sorts of pasta dishes.I like stirring in vegan meat or crumbles into the marinara, because it adds more protein and also a bit more heft to the sauce. You can use lentils, which are a healthier, cleaner substitute (although the meat substitute is definitely more kid-friendly).If you add the vegan meat or lentils, heat the homemade or store bought marinara, add the crumbled meat or cooked lentils, and heat everything through before layering it into the baking dish. If you are cooking the marinara from scratch, add the meat or lentils to the marinara in the last few minutes of cooking.I use vegan mozzarella cheese shreds to top off the stuffed pasta shells, but these can easily be substituted with seasoned panko or any bread crumbs. Toss the crumbs with herbs like oregano or basil and salt and black pepper and scatter on top of the shells.
Frequently asked questions
What to serve with the vegan stuffed shells
It’s a one-dish meal in itself, but a fresh salad on the side would be amazing with this. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
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