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    Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto

    December 20, 2017 By Rene 17 Comments

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love. 

    Jump to Recipe

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love | ThisSavoryVegan.com #vegan #veganpasta

    Earlier this week I showed you how to make a Simple Vegan Bechamel Sauce - you know, that buttery, delicious white sauce?

    In that post I mentioned that while this sauce is great on its own, it is also the perfect base for any creamy sauce your mind desires.

    I also let you know that I would be sharing such a sauce with you later in the week.

    Well, the time has come.

    And creamy pesto sauce is what we're making today.

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love | ThisSavoryVegan.com #vegan #veganpasta

    While that sounds good enough as is.

    We're taking it to a WHOLE other level and we're spreading that creamy pesto sauce all over some ricotta & spinach stuffed shells.

    Yep.

    VEGAN ricotta and spinach stuffed shells.

    I will pause while we all wipe up the drool coming down our chins. 🙂

    Ok, all better?

    Now let's get into this recipe.

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love | ThisSavoryVegan.com #vegan #veganpasta

    The creamy pesto sauce is pretty simple.

    Start off with some of that bechamel sauce we talked about and add in some pesto. That's it.

    Sounds easy enough, right?

    This time I opted for buying pre-made pesto. Less prep makes me a happy girl. And Trader Joe's makes a vegan kale and basil pesto that is to die for.

    But if you want to make yours from scratch I have plenty of recipes. Check them out here, here, and here.

    Now that we have our sauce taken care of, we can talk about these stuffed shells.

    I again opted for buying vegan ricotta rather than making my own. Kite Hill makes a super tasty one that I get at Whole Foods. But if you are feeling adventurous there are plenty of homemade vegan ricotta recipes out there.

    And with just a little more pesto and some spinach, your filling is done.

    Now, just load up your cooked shells with the filling, put them in a baking dish and smother them in the creamy pesto sauce.

    Throw it all in the oven, sit back, relax and wait 20 minutes while everything gets bubbly and hot.

    Pull them out and serve with more pesto sauce (if you haven't eaten the rest with a spoon) and a big green salad.

    This meal is so comforting and delicious. PLUS it is super easy AND impressive at the same time.

    This would be a perfect Christmas dinner to impress your vegan and non-vegan family and friends!

    More of a visual person? Check out the video:

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love | ThisSavoryVegan.com #vegan #veganpasta
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    5 from 5 votes

    Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love. 
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 12 stuffed shells

    Ingredients

    FOR THE CREAMY PESTO SAUCE

    • Bechamel Sauce*
    • ¼ cup pesto

    FOR THE STUFFED SHELLS

    • 12 large shells**
    • 8 oz vegan ricotta
    • ¼ cup frozen spinach thawed
    • 2 tablespoon pesto
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • 2 tablespoon vegan parmesan optional

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. 
    • While pasta is cooking, combine ricotta, spinach, pesto, salt, pepper and parmesan in a bowl. Stir to combine and set aside. 
    • Make bechamel sauce according to instructions. Add pesto to the sauce and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add water to thin. 
    • Drain pasta and run under cold water until cool enough to handle. 
    • Spread ½ cup of creamy pesto sauce on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Fill each shell with a heaping tablespoon of ricotta filling and place in the baking dish. 
    • Pour pesto sauce over the stuffed shells.*** Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and filling is warmed through. 
    • Remove from the oven and serve. 

    Notes

    *Get the recipe here.
    **A normal package has more than 12 shells and I would recommend cooking 15-18 in case any break while boiling. You can always eat the remaining noodles with the leftover pesto sauce. 
    **You may have some leftover sauce. 

    This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Please know I would never link a product unless I have personally used it and loved it!

    If you make this recipe be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!

    Have a fancy dinner with minimal work - Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Creamy Pesto. A baked pasta dish that everyone will love | ThisSavoryVegan.com #vegan #veganpasta
    « Simple Vegan Bechamel Sauce
    Top 10 Recipes of 2017 »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ashley

      August 19, 2019 at 10:43 am

      5 stars
      OMG this was amazingly delicious. I couldn't quite get the sauce to thicken so I added a tiny bit of arrowroot starch, but with less than a teaspoon it came together. SO GOOD!!! (Used a homemade ricotta recipe & the basil pesto recipe from this website)

      Reply
      • Rene

        August 29, 2019 at 10:30 am

        Hi Ashley - so glad you liked this and were able to adjust it to your liking!

        Reply
    2. Jackie

      September 30, 2018 at 5:42 pm

      5 stars
      I have never left a comment on a recipe before, but this dish is amazing. I used cashew milk and it turned out perfect! I might try to top it with a chunky marinara next time since I love red and white sauce together on pasta. My non vegan family also LOVED it!

      Reply
      • Rene

        October 02, 2018 at 7:50 am

        Awesome! So glad it was a hit!

        Reply
    3. Jack Smith

      April 16, 2018 at 1:57 am

      5 stars
      These were amazing! Makes for awesome leftovers as well

      Reply
    4. LeeAnn

      February 11, 2018 at 7:51 am

      Hi! I notice in the bechamel recipe it says to use immediately. Will this keep in the fridge? If so, for how long? I was hoping to make a double batch and store the one half of it for a different meal later on. Thanks! I look forward to trying this!

      Reply
      • Rene

        February 12, 2018 at 7:53 am

        It should work fine. You will just want to slowly reheat it so you get all of the clumps out.

        Reply
    5. Amanda

      February 06, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      I am drooling just looking at this! I have missed ricotta so much, so I'm hoping this tastes like I am imagining. I can't wait to try it this weekend!

      Reply
      • Rene

        February 06, 2018 at 1:11 pm

        I was so impressed with the Kite Hill ricotta. I think it's one of the few cheeses vegans have gotten right. Enjoy!

        Reply
    6. Jeanine

      December 27, 2017 at 10:33 am

      5 stars
      I made this for our Christmas eve dinner it was delicious. I used cashew mild for the bechamel sauce. Even some non-vegans tried it and thought it was good. Would probably taste good with a traditional marinara sauce as well.

      Reply
      • Rene

        December 28, 2017 at 7:46 am

        Yay! So glad everyone liked it! I agree, marinara would work great too.

        Reply
    7. Angelique

      December 23, 2017 at 10:46 am

      5 stars
      Tried this last night-I don’t normally comment but the stuffed shell recipe is amazing. I used cashew milk for the bechamel sauce and increased flour to 3 tbs.
      I am hesitant to try cheese type recipes because really so many don’t taste that great. But the texture and flavor of this are right on. Thank you!
      Am going to try your Mac and cheese next.

      Reply
      • Rene

        December 25, 2017 at 8:00 am

        Yay! So glad you liked it.

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Vegan #Ricotta #Stuffed #Shells #with #Creamy #Pesto – Recipes Food says:
      June 13, 2019 at 2:34 pm

      […] For Link Full   >>>>  Recipes […]

      Reply
    2. #recipe #food #family #delicious #Vegan #Ricotta #Stuffed #Shells #with #Creamy #Pesto – Recipes Food says:
      May 2, 2019 at 11:46 pm

      […] IngredientsFOR THE CREAMY PESTO SAUCEBechamel Sauce*1/4 cup pestoFOR THE STUFFED SHELLS12 large shells**8 oz vegan ricotta1/4 cup frozen spinach thawed2 tbsp pestosalt & pepper to taste2 tbsp vegan parmesan optionalInstructions1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. 3. …Get full recipe ==> @ thissavoryvegan.com […]

      Reply
    3. VEGAN RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS w CREAMY PESTO | This Savory Vegan #spinach #ricotta #stuffedshells | | COOKING COMMUNITY says:
      October 18, 2018 at 7:04 am

      […] ******* GET THE FULL RECIPE: https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/vegan-ricotta-stuffed-shells-with-creamy-pesto/ […]

      Reply
    4. 400+ Yummiest Vegan Dinners (RESOURCES) - Vegan Shrine says:
      January 25, 2018 at 8:08 am

      […] Original Post: Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells With Creamy Pesto […]

      Reply

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    I’m Rene! So-cal native, dog mom and lover of all things spicy. Learn more.

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