Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells
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These Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells are simple to make and even easier to eat. Filled with homemade tofu ricotta, spinach & basil in marinara.
These Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells are perfect when you want something that looks fancy, but is actually super easy to make! The homemade tofu ricotta adds lots of protein, and the spinach sneaks in some greens. Baked over marinara and topped with fresh basil. This is the perfect weeknight dinner – it can be frozen and reheated for busy nights!
Step One: Cook the Shells
For this recipe you are going to look for Jumbo Pasta Shells in the dry pasta section. You will only need about 1/2 of the box (24 shells), but expect a few to be broken, and pick out the ones that aren’t.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the shells. You only want to cook them until al dente (approx. 9 minutes). If they are overcooked, they will be harder to stuff and may get mushy in the oven.
Once the shells are done cooking, drain them and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking.
Step Two: Make the Shell Filling
The base for the shell stuffing is my Vegan Tofu Ricotta recipe! It is one of my favorites. It is super creamy, tasty and adds protein to this recipe.
To make the tofu ricotta add tofu (obvi), garlic, lemon juice, vegan parmesan, olive oil, salt & pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.
Add the tofu ricotta to a bowl with thawed frozen spinach and fresh basil. Mix until everything is combined.
Step Three: Assemble & Bake
Now that everything is ready, it is time to bring it all together. And to keep this super simple we are going to use jarred marinara. Pour it into a baking dish and get to stuffing.
Add a heaping tablespoon of the ricotta filling to each shell and place on top of the marinara – gently pressing each shell down. Once all of the shells are filled you can sprinkle on a little vegan mozzarella for a cheesy topping.
Put the baking dish in the oven for 25-30 minutes – turning the oven to broil for the last couple minutes for a crispier top. Which I personally love!
Step Four: Serve
Pull the shells out of the oven and bask in their beauty. Grab some more fresh basil and add it to the top before spooning the shells onto plates.
These shells are tasty, filling and healthy. You get greens from the spinach and protein from the tofu. This is comfort food you can feel good about!
If you like your shells extra saucy, you can also heat some extra marinara on the side for serving!
Tips & Tricks
Be sure not to overcook the pasta, it will finish cooking in the oven.
These stuffed shells can be served with garlic bread and a salad!
TO FREEZE: Prepare the casserole, cover and place in the freezer. When ready to reheat, place in the oven, covered, for 50 minutes at 350. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells about 1/2 a box
- 1 14-ounce block firm tofu drained & pressed
- 1 tablespoon vegan parmesan
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 8 ounces frozen spinach thawed and pressed
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil plus more for serving
- 3 cups marinara
- 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Once boiling, add the shells to the water and cook until al dente (approx. 9 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water.
- While the pasta is boiling, make the tofu ricotta. Add the tofu, parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the edges as needed.
- Add the tofu ricotta to a bowl with the spinach & basil. Mix to combine, taste and add more salt & pepper if needed.
- Pour the marinara sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Add about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta to each shell and place on top of the marinara, gently pressing them down. Sprinkle with vegan mozzarella and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly – turn the oven to broil for the last couple minutes for a crispier top.
- Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil. Scoop the shells and marinara onto each plate and dig in.
Video
Notes
- Be sure not to overcook the pasta, it will finish cooking in the oven.
- These stuffed shells can be served with garlic bread and a salad!
- TO FREEZE: Prepare the casserole, cover and place in the freezer. When ready to reheat, place in the oven, covered, for 50 minutes at 350. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
This recipe came out perfect!! My husband loved stuffed shells before he became vegan and he is always hesitant when it comes to tofu, but he scraped his plate clean! I haven’t been able to make these for him in years and now we found a recipe he loves!! Thank you 🙂 I also added some onion powder and Italian seasoning to the stuffing mixture for a little extra flavor.
This was absolutely delicious. I had my own sauce snd used that. The Tofu ricotta was great adding protein to this meal. I made extra shells thinking some would break but none broke so I made 2 dishes of stuffed shells and froze 1 of them for next week
Love an accidental freezer meal 🙌 So glad you loved it!
This recipe is a real keeper, or as we say in our house,”binder-worthy”. Which means it goes into our binder of recipes we want to keep and make a part of our recipe rotation.
My husband isn’t vegan, but we always have one vegan meal a day (lunch). He thought this one was fantastic. The filling is very tasty and is great with the shells and marinara sauce. Needless to say he devoured it.
I had some commercial vegan ricotta cheese so I used that instead of making it from the recipe, so I can’t say how the recipe cheese is.
If you have non-vegan family members, this dish is definitely one you should try.
Thanks Kathy! So honored to make the binder rotation! Love that you and your husband are integrating vegan meals into your life 🤗