You are going to love these vegan stuffed shells filled with squash and tofu ricotta. They taste so much like the original version, but are dairy-free and way healthier! If you choose an oil-free marinara, this recipe is also oil-free.
These vegan stuffed pasta shells are made with a mix of squash, but you can choose your favorite. Choose any hard squash, like butternut, delicata, pumpkin, kabocha, or acorn squash. I always buy tons of squashes for holiday decorations and then slowly eat them over the next month or two. This vegan dinner recipe is a great way to use up any squash or pumpkin you have!
If you’re a squash person, like me, I think you’ll like these recipes too:
- Stuffed Butternut Squash with Sausage & Rice
- Squash Tacos
- Roasted Squash with Green Tahini
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Quesadillas
The squash in these stuffed shells add hearty texture, subtle flavor, and tons of nutrition. However, the vegan tofu ricotta steals the spotlight because it is so darn delicious!
How To Make Dairy Free Vegan Ricotta:
Making vegan ricotta cheese is super easy and requires just a few ingredients. Here is how to make easy dairy free ricotta cheese:
- Bust out your food processor. If you don’t have one a blender will work, but be careful not to over blend. If you’re interested in the kitchen equipment I use often, visit my Shop Page.
- Add a block of firm (not extra firm) tofu to the blender with the nutritional yeast, white miso, apple cider vinegar, herbs, and spices.
- Pulse in the food processor until well combined and sort of smooth, but with some texture remaining.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if you’d like.
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Vegan stuffed shells with squash and tofu ricotta is easy to make, but also a bit fancy. So, you can make this vegan recipe for a weekly meal, or for a holiday gathering. For more shareable holiday-themed recipes at your fingertips, check out my Holiday Cookbook!
While the tofu ricotta is absolutely amazing, my favorite part of this stuffed shell recipe is the sauce. Instead of just plain marinara sauce, I blend in a couple cups of cooked squash. Adding squash to the marinara thickens the sauce and adds the perfect touch of earthy squash flavors to this tasty vegan pasta dish. I hope you enjoy it too!
Vegan Stuffed Shells is one of my favorite vegan dinners at the moment, and I think you will love it too! Comment below if you give it a try and post a pic and tag me @rootyfruityvegan
For even more tasty recipes, subscribe to my YouTube channel and check out my cookbooks. Thanks for reading =]
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Vegan Stuffed Shells with Squash & Tofu Ricotta
Vegan pasta shells stuffed with squash and tofu ricotta and served with a squash-marinara sauce. This vegan dinner recipe is delicious, filling, and healthy too.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time45 min
- Total Time55 min
Ingredients
Tofu Ricotta
- 1 block tofu, crumbled
- 2 T nutritional yeast
- 1 T white miso paste
- 2 t dried basil
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t onion powder
- 1 T apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Roasted Squash
- 4-5 cups chopped squash (butternut, delicata, kabocha, or pumpkin)
Other Ingredients
- 16 oz. vegan marinara
- 12 oz. jumbo pasta shells
- 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
Directions
Roast the Squash
Preheat oven to 400F, cut squash into 1/2” cubes and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Reduce heat to 350F after removing the squash from the oven.
Prepare the Vegan Ricotta
Meanwhile, make ricotta by blending tofu, nutritional yeast, miso, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, apple cider vinegar, and salt in a food processor until well combined and until desired texture is reached. I prefer it nearly smooth, but with a slight chunky texture remaining.
Prepare the Stuffed Shells
Boil pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, briefly rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Once the squash is cooked, blend the marinara with 2 cups of squash until smooth.
In a baking dish, spread a layer of the sauce on the bottom. Place the cooked shells open side up in the dish. Fill the shells with ricotta, spinach, and a few chunks of squash in each.
Top with more squash-marinara if desired, cover, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for vegan Stuffed Pasta Shells with Squash and Tofu Ricotta. For more recipes, visit my recipe archives and cookbooks.
I would like the e book but it wouldn’t let me subscribe.
Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I’ve fixed the issue =]