If you're looking for a recipe to serve non-vegan friends, look no further. Vegan stuffed shells, with or without textured vegetable protein, impart an Italian flavor that everyone loves. It's the perfect "intro" dish!
One thing to keep in mind when preparing this dish is serving size: As an entree, an average serving size is about three jumbo shells. However, shells sometimes break during the filling process, so you may want to make a few extra.
Michelle Johnson, vegan home cook of Vegan Cooking With Love, demonstrates how to make these delicious shells in the video below.
Vegan stuffed shellsPreparation time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: 15 stuffed pasta shells
Ingredients15 jumbo-size pasta shells
Italian Sausage Sauce24 ounces (710 milliliters) marinara sauce (one jar)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup textured vegetable protein
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Ricotta14 ounces (397 grams) extra-firm tofu, drained but not pressed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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1. Cook pasta according to directions on the package. Rinse and set shells aside, keeping them separated so they don't stick to each other.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
3. Pour 3/4 cup marinara sauce into an 8-inch by 8-inch (20 by 20 centimeters) baking dish. Spread over bottom of the dish and set aside.
4. In a saucepan, combine water, soy sauce, fennel seeds, sage, onion powder, basil, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. When mixture is boiling, remove from heat and add the textured vegetable protein. Stir to coat, then let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Add remaining marinara sauce and balsamic vinegar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
7. Prepare the ricotta by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth. You may need to break the tofu into chucks before blending.
8. Stuff each pasta shell with ricotta, placing the stuffed shells into the prepared baking dish.
9. Pour sauce over shells, and cover and bake for 25 minutes.
10. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling.
For variety, considering omitting the textured vegetable protein or replacing it with finely chopped mushrooms or lightly mashed brown lentils. Jazz up the ricotta by adding sauteed spinach to the mixture before stuffing shells.
