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Baked Stuffed Pasta Shells with Spinach & Tofu "Ricotta"
One of the things I love most about our recipe team is how often we bring inspiration back from our travels—not just ideas, but ingredients, too. When one teammate returned from Italy with a bag of jumbo pasta shells (and I mean JUMBO—far bigger than anything we can find at our local markets in the Netherlands), we knew exactly what we had to do: stuff them, of course! These shells are filled with a creamy, plant-based ricotta-style mixture and nestled into a rich, garlicky tomato sauce. Baked until golden and bubbling, it’s a comforting dish that’s both beautiful and delicious. Even if your shells are smaller than the ones we used, not to worry, the recipe still works beautifully.Servings
Total
1 hrPrep
30 minCook
30 minContains
soy
tree nut
Swap out
gluten
Free from
peanut
sesame
Ingredients
Pasta
-
fine sea salt
-
7 oz (200g)jumbo shell pasta
Sauce
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1 Tbsp (15ml)olive oil
-
4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
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¼ tspchili flakes
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2 cups (500g)passata sauce†
-
¼ cup (4g)fresh basil leaves, chopped
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½ tspfine sea salt
Filling
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1½ cups (170g)frozen spinach, thawed
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14 oz (395g)firm tofu
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1½ cups (195g)raw cashews
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1 Tbsp (10g)garlic powder
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½ tspground black pepper
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⅛ tspground nutmeg
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1 tsp (6g)fine sea salt
Topping
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⅓ cup (40g)shredded vegan cheese
Directions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions for al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until lightly golden.
- Add the passata, basil, and fine sea salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for about 7 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
- Transfer the sauce to a 9 × 13-inch / 23 × 33cm baking dish.
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C*.
- Transfer the thawed spinach to a sieve set over a bowl and squeeze out any excess water. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the spinach water and set aside**.
- In a food processor, blitz the tofu, cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, pepper, nutmeg, fine sea salt, and the 3 tablespoons of reserved spinach water until smooth.
- Remove the blades, then mix in the squeezed spinach.
- Fill the pasta shells with the tofu mixture, then arrange them over the sauce in the baking dish.
- Cover with the grated cheese.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- †Passata is a smooth, thick tomato sauce made from strained tomatoes without added seasonings, herbs, or spices.
- * We used top and bottom heating (not fan-assisted/convection).
- ** Save the remaining spinach water for soups or smoothies, if desired.
Storage
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can freeze the tray before baking, then pop it in the oven for an hour. Broil for 10 extra minutes, and enjoy!
Let us know what you think
Watch it step-by-step!
Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 41%
• jumbo shell pasta
Proteins 27%
• firm tofu
• raw cashews
• nutritional yeast flakes
Fruits & Veggies 32%
• garlic clove
• passata sauce
• fresh basil leaves
• frozen spinach
Calcium
• firm tofu
• shredded vegan cheese
Fat
• olive oil
• raw cashews
Nutrition info
Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.
Leave a comment
It was good but the tofu ricotta was a but dry
Can I sub extra firm tofu instead of firm - would that still work?
Love baked pasta recipes! And this is no different :))
Delicious!
So incredibly delicious! I used homemade vegan shreddable mozzarella cheese. My meat-eating family loved it! I love when a dish isn’t lacking in any flavor simply because it doesn’t have any meat. Yum!
I used the 'normal' shells my grocery store had (not jumbo) and the whole family devoured them. These were so good! The red sauce was delicious! Will definitely be making this again!
Would it be possible to use cannelloni? 🥹 it’s kinda impossible to find jumbo shells
This was delicious! Even my picky husband loved it! I adapted it into a disassembled lasagna since I didn’t have shells on hand (I used chickpea pasta and dolloped the filling throughout it)
Thank you for another delicious recipe! Can’t wait for your cookbook!