It's back to school time, fall is coming and I wanted to get out one of our family's favorite staple recipes. The kids love it, we have made it for quite a few potlucks and parties now, it is easy to make and can even be batch made and frozen. I know some people do stuffed shells with pre-made vegan ricotta, or homemade cashew ricotta, but we do ours with tofu, so it is a pretty light recipe, too.
Even though when you think of stuffed shells it evokes a cheesy, heavy, unhealthy vibe, these are not heavy or unhealthy. I really love these and I can eat a lot of them over the course of a couple days and feel full but not feel heavier.
Plus they are so easy. You can throw all the vegan Ricotta ingredients into a food processor while you boil the pasta shells. The hardest part is scooping the mixture into each shell.
We like to serve this dish with a side of broccoli or greens. Sometimes we put vegan mozzarella shreds or a little of our Spaghetti Sprinkle recipe on it but it doesn't need it.
You can also cut back on the amount of oil by cutting back on the vegan mayo and I really don't think they don't need any additional topping at all, if you want to keep this recipe on the lighter side.
With a sharp knife, cut them up for the little kiddos.
Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe
Tofu Ricotta
1 package firm tofu
1/3 to 1/2 cup vegan mayo
1 1/2 Tbsp minced parsley or 4 tsp dry
1 Tbsp minced basil or 2 tsp dry
2 tsp onion or 2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 box jumbo shells
1 jar tomato sauce or homemade equivalent homemade sauce
Instructions:
Cook the stuffed shells according to package directions.
Place the Tofu Ricotta ingredients in a food processor. Spread a little bit of sauce in the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish.. Scoop about 2 Tbsp of the ricotta into each shell and place in dish so they are all touching each other. Cover the pasta evenly with sauce so they won't burn. Bake 30 min.
Sometimes I add a little shredded shredded vegan mozzarella for last 10-15 min of cook time.
