Published on
by Erin
Vegan Stuffed Shellsare such a great way to work a simple plant-based meal into your weekly menu. The ingredients are things you will either already have on hand or that are easily found in almost any grocery store. The flavors mirror that of your traditional stuffed shells recipe!
Vegan Jumbo Stuffed Shells With Spinach
These baked vegan shells are such a huge hit with my family – the secret is that dairy-free ricotta cheese! Made nice and creamy with the help of our friends over at Califia Farms and their beloved Oat Milk! You won’t find any gums or stabilizers in it and it is made with gluten-free oats. The perfect addition to this simple weeknight dinner!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Plant-Based: You all know I love incorporating plant-based recipes into my weekly menu plan! Love that these are meatless and dairy-free! Click here for more plant-based recipes!
- Simple: This is a dairy-free spin on such a classic, simple recipe – total comfort food.
- Make Ahead: See my tips below for making this ahead of time and freezing!
What You Will Need
- Dairy-Free Ricotta:
- raw cashews & firm tofu – this combination makes the perfect plant-based base for a delicious dairy-free ricotta.
- lemon juice – just a splash to bring out all the amazing flavors!
- nutritional yeast – provides some of the classic “cheesy” flavor without the cheese.
- kosher salt & pepper – a little help from these basic seasonings is always needed.
- oat milk – any plant-based milk option would work, we also love using unsweetened almond milk.
- frozen spinach – perfect for adding some added nutrition and pop of color!
- jumbo shells – option to use regular shells or gluten-free ones.
- marinara sauce – we love using our classic homemade marinara sauce or our easy pasta sauce, but you could also grab your favorite sauce from the grocery store too!
- optional: fresh basil & dairy-free shredded cheese
Making Ahead of Time
To make this recipe ahead of time, simply prepare per the instructions below and then cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Then cook per the instructions, but you may need to increase the cook time by 5-10 minutes or so since the pan and ingredients will be cold coming out of the refrigerator.
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells
First, you can begin by mixing up your dairy-free ricotta in a food processor. Next, mix that in a medium mixing bowl with the frozen spinach. Then you can use that ricotta filling to stuff your jumbo shells.
Place the marinara sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish and then place the stuffed shells on top.
Now you can either cover and place in the fridge or freezer and bake it at a later time or you can cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Can I Freeze this Recipe
Yes! You can easily freeze this recipe (before cooking) if you want to. There are two options to do this:
- Freeze individual shells: Prepare and stuff the shells according to the instructions below. The place on a baking sheet (ensuring they are touching each other) and place in the freezer overnight. By then they will be frozen through and you can place them in a freezer-safe bag (like a stasher bag) and freeze for several months. When you are ready to use them prepare your casserole dish with your marinara sauce, as directed in the recipe, and bake as normal. You will need to increase the cooking time by a little bit to account for the frozen shells.
- Freeze the whole dish: Prepare the recipe, as directed, but don’t bake (but use a freezer-safe casserole dish). Cover tight with foil and plastic wrap and freeze for several months. When you are ready to use simply take out of the freezer and let thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator and then bake as you normally would. Note: don’t put a frozen glass/ceramic baking dish in the hot oven as it will crack! That is why it HAS to thaw for at least 24 hours first before baking. You can also take it out of the refrigerator and let it come up to room temp before baking.
Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Homemade Marinara Sauce: I used my homemade marinara sauce for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever you prefer.
- Double it: This is a perfect recipe to double – I do it all the time!
- Gluten-Free: Feel free to use gluten-free pasta shells or regular.
- Leftover Tofu: If you don’t double this recipe and have leftover tofu, I highly recommend this recipe for a Tofu + Brown Rice + Veggie Bowl! So good!
- Add Cheese: Here is a nice round-up of some of the best dairy-free cheeses if you want to add some on top!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute andleave a star rating and review– it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
- Stuffed Shells With Meat
- Easy Vegan Enchiladas
- Sweet Potato Curry
- Curried Cauliflower Soup
Vegan Stuffed Shells
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 4 reviews
- Author: Erin Jensen
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven + Blender
- Cuisine: Italian -Inspired
Description
- Vegan Stuffed Shells – an easy and delicious plant-based meal your whole family will love!!
Ingredients
Scale
Dairy-Free Ricotta:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 block firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Califia Farms Oat Milk
- 9oz package frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out as much liquid as possible
Other Ingredients:
- 16 jumbo shells (regular or gluten-free)
- 16oz of your favorite marinara
- (optional) fresh basil, roughly chopped
- (optional) dairy-free cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place raw cashews in a heat-safe bowl. Bring 2 cups of water to boil and pour over cashews. Let sit for 10-15 minutes (this helps them blend up more easily).
- Cook shells according to package instructions, but cook about 1 minute less so they are very al dente. They will finish cooking in the oven. Remove and set on a plate to cool a bit.
- Meanwhile, drain cashews and add to high-speed blender along with the tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, kosher salt, ground black pepper and oat milk. Blend on HIGH for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Add additional splashes of oat milk if needed.
- Pour ricotta mixture into a medium-sized bowl and mix in the spinach.
- Set out a 10×7 (or similar sized) casserole dish and add 1/2 your marinara sauce to the bottom. One by one, take a spoon the ricotta mixture into the shells, nestling them into the marinara sauce. Cover with remaining marinara.
- Feel free to cover with dairy-free cheese, if desired.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling.
- If you added cheese, remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
- Serve with fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
- Homemade Marinara Sauce: I used my homemade marinara sauce for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever you prefer.
- Double it: This is a perfect recipe to double – I do it all the time!
- Gluten-Free: Feel free to use gluten-free pasta shells or regular.
- Leftover Tofu: If you don’t double this recipe and have leftover tofu, I highly recommend this recipe for a Tofu + Brown Rice + Veggie Bowl! So good!
- Add Cheese: Here is a nice round-up of some of the best dairy-free cheeses if you want to add some on top!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Sandra Davee says
Excellent recipe! I too used my own marinara sauce and I wilted fresh spinach and Swiss chard with a little bit of olive oil, basil, oregano, and garlic. I doubled the recipe and thank goodness for now I have breakfast!
Reply
Erin says
Glad you enjoyed this one, Sandra!
Reply
Noelle says
This was yum! I’m bad at strictly following recipes… and I didn’t have spinach so improvised using onion, mushroom, zucchini and asparagus (sautéed with some Italian seasoning etc.) and plant based meat (that my husband craves). I made the “ricotta” pretty much spot on, though, I needed much more liquid for my blender to get the job done. It was tasty. I’ll make it again. Nice quick weekday recipe.
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Pat says
This is a great recipe! Ate half for two dinners and frozen the other half.Very simple and yummy
Thank you
PatReply
Yazzy Collier says
This is a family favorite for us! My kids ask for it weekly! Even my non vegan husband loves it! Thank you so much!
Reply
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Yazzy!!
Reply
Meagan says
Made this recipe for the second time and it was just as good this time around! Easy and delicious. Love that I can prep it ahead of time!
Reply
Erin says
So glad you are enjoying this one, Meagan! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Reply
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