Easy and Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells

These Vegan Stuffed Shells are easy and delicious! Quick to make and healthy for you, this recipe is the perfect weeknight meal. The whole family will enjoy this vegan version of the classic!

Is there anything more comforting than pasta? For me, pasta is the ultimate comfort food. It is easy to make and just so satisfying. One of the things I love the most is cheese stuffed shells. There was just something so delicious about the gooey cheese and pasta together. With this vegan version, you won't even be missing the dairy!

Legend has it that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy following his exploration of the Far East, however pasta can be traced back to the 4th Century B.C.E.! That is crazy to me and it seems like so long ago. I was a history major in college so I always love to learn about all of the history behind food.

I have a bunch of great pasta recipes on my site, check out a few of them here like this Easy Lasagna Verde, this Cajun Pasta with Smoked Sausage or this Vegan Ravioli Pesto Bake!

Ingredients

The ingredients in this recipe are easy to find at any supermarket and this is a super budget-friendly recipe!

You can make this recipe for about $2 per serving which is huge for those that are budgeting and trying to eat budget friendly.

• Jumbo Pasta Shells
• Firm Tofu
• Lemon
• Frozen Chopped Spinach
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Nutritional Yeast
• Salt
• Marinara Sauce

Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil the pasta noodles according to package directions.

You may be wondering why it is important to salt your pasta water, or if it is even important at all. Proper seasoning is what separates good food from great. You don't want to make something salty, but you do want add enough salt to let the flavor shine. Dried pasta often doesn't have very much flavor on its own. Normally it is made of just flour and water, nothing else! So when you cook your pasta in saltwater, it allows the salt to absorb into the pasta as it is cooking, thereby seasoning the food.

While the pasta is boiling, add the tofu, lemon, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until everything is combined and the texture resembles ricotta cheese. Fold in the frozen chopped spinach. I pulsed everything around 15-20 times in short spurts. I did not want to turn it into liquid but I wanted to it to have the texture of soft ricotta cheese.

Once the pasta is done boiling, drain and rinse under cool water. Normally you wouldn't want to rinse pasta as the starch from the pasta water helps it to hold on to the sauce. However, since we will need to handle the shells, we do not want to burn our fingers.

After rinsing the pasta, using a spoon, spoon the ricotta filling into the shells.

Grease a 9x11 baking dish and pour half of the jar of marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish to coat the dish.

Layer the filled pasta shells on top and then add the rest of the marinara sauce on top.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Hint: To fill the shells, use whatever is easier for you. You can use a piping bag or go my way and use a spoon.

Substitutions

Need to fit this into your diet, check out some of these substitutions below!

• Soy-Free - If you have a soy allergy, you can make these stuffed shells with cashews instead of tofu. Just use 1 cup of soaked cashews in place of the tofu. You might need to add about ¼ cup of plant milk or water to make up for the water content of the tofu.
• Gluten-Free - To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free jumbo shells
• Extra Protein - Feel free to add beefless crumbles to the ricotta mixture to up the protein content.

Variations

Want to try this but give it your spin? Check out some of these variations below!

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the ricotta to spice it up!
• Deluxe - swap the spinach for pesto in the ricotta to make a fancy version of this recipe.
• Kid-friendly - cut the shells into small bites for a kid-friendly meal

Check out this spicy pasta recipe!

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. This is the food processor that I use to make my ricotta. I love it, it is so easy to use and inexpensive.

Storage

Store the stuffed shells in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To freeze this recipe, follow the instructions up until baking time. Wrap the pan in tin foil followed by saran wrap and freeze for up to three months.

Top tip

Using jarred marinara sauce is the best hack to make this a 30-minute easy dinner. Feel free to make your marinara sauce but going the jarred route will make this a quick and easy meal!

Easy and Delicious Vegan Stuffed Shells

kaydimaggio

These Vegan Stuffed Shells are easy and delicious! Quick to make and healthy for you, this recipe is the perfect weeknight meal. The whole family will enjoy this vegan version of the classic! 

5 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 322 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 1 block Firm Tofu
• 1 Lemon juiced
• 1 cup Frozen Chopped Spinach
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 cups Marinara Sauce

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil the pasta noodles according to package directions.
• Add the tofu, lemon, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until everything is combined and the texture resembles ricotta cheese.
• Fold in the frozen chopped spinach.Once the pasta is done boiling, drain and rinse under cool water.
• After rinsing the pasta, using a spoon, spoon the ricotta filling into the shells.
• Grease a 9x11 baking dish and pour half of the jar of marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish, smooth with a spoon until the bottom of the dish is coated.
• Layer the filled pasta shells on top and then finish it off by topping with the other half of the marinara sauce.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Notes

• Soy-Free - If you have a soy allergy, you can make these stuffed shells with cashews instead of tofu. Just use 1 cup of soaked cashews in place of the tofu. You might need to add about ¼ cup of plant milk or water to make up for the water content of the tofu.
• Gluten-Free - To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free jumbo shells
• Extra Protein - Feel free to add beefless crumbles to the ricotta mixture to up the protein content.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 322kcalCarbohydrates: 57.5gProtein: 13gFat: 4.2gSaturated Fat: 0.8gSodium: 739mgFiber: 6.4gSugar: 10g

Keyword entree, Vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.