These vegan stuffed shells make for a cozy, satisfying dinner that rivals your favorite Italian restaurant. With a vegan spinach, mushroom and ricotta filling and a vibrant tomato sauce, they're packed with flavor.
Vegan pasta can be a bit boring. Without the cream, butter, cheese and meat, there are only so many options. Even though I love a good vegan mac and cheese, I think we can all agree it still doesn't quite compare to the real deal.
In my opinion, the one vegan cheese alternative that really holds up to its traditional counterpart is ricotta. It's relatively mild, and the texture is pretty easy to mimic with nondairy ingredients.
In this case, we make a homemade vegan ricotta with soaked cashews and macadamia nuts. It's absolutely fantastic in these stuffed shells, especially paired with spinach and mushrooms!
The best part about this recipe? It can be as easy as you'd like. If you're short on time, sub vegan ricotta with a store-bought alternative. Same goes for the tomato sauce.
Just a few steps stand between you and the perfect comforting family dinner!
How to make vegan ricotta
The filling for these vegan stuffed shells is a simple mixture of homemade nut ricotta, cooked mushrooms, spinach and onions. For a simpler version, feel free to omit the mushrooms and/or spinach. I personally love the color and texture they add, but it's up to you!
To make homemade vegan ricotta, you'll need to prepare ahead of time by pre-soaking the nuts. They only need two hours of soaking time, but it's an essential step. Otherwise, they'll be too hard to blend well and the texture will be too gritty.
Simply soak the cashews and macadamias in room temperature water for two hours, then drain and rinse. If you're short on time, 30 minutes to an hour in hotter water will do.
Add them to a high power blender with hemp seeds, nutritional yeast (for cheesy flavor), lemon juice and a few seasonings to add flavor. We also add a tablespoon of miso paste, which adds a tangy, savory flavor that mimics real cheese.
Blend it all up until it's creamy, cheesy and delicious! It doesn't have to be totally smooth. In fact, it's better if there's still a bit of texture.
Don't want to make it at home? There are a few great store-bought alternatives that will work in these vegan stuffed shells. Our favorite is this one from Kite Hill and it's available at most grocery stores these days!
Vegan ricotta is a versatile ingredient. Here are a few other ways we commonly use it:
- Vegan Ricotta and Asparagus Tart
- Strawberry Peach Bruschetta with Ricotta
- Vegan Butternut Squash and Lasagna Roll-ups
- Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Toast
- On a homemade vegan pizza
Tips for perfect vegan stuffed shells
- Cook the shells just until al dente. If you overcook them, they'll fall apart when you try to stuff in the filling. Plus, they'll cook a bit more when they go back in the oven!
- Gluten free? We used a gluten free rice pasta shell in this recipe. They're not easy to find, but we ordered them online and they worked great!
- Make sure the nuts (cashews and macadamias) are raw and unsalted! If you can't find unsalted macadamias, use all cashews instead.
- Optional: feel free to top with more tomato sauce. We didn't (mostly for aesthetic reasons), but it's great either way! You can also serve more on the side.
- In addition to the homemade vegan ricotta, we also use store-bought vegan parmesan and mozzarella shreds. Any brand will work!
More vegan pasta recipes
- Mushroom Alfredo
- Vegan Lentil Bolognese
- Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta with Caramelized Onions
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Cheesy Pasta Bake
If you make this vegan stuffed shells recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
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Vegan Stuffed Shells
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Description
These vegan stuffed shells make for a cozy, satisfying dinner that rivals your favorite Italian restaurant. With a vegan spinach, mushroom and ricotta filling and a vibrant tomato sauce, they're packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Homemade Vegan Ricotta:
- 1 cup unsalted raw cashews (soaked in room temp water for 2 hours)
- ½ cup unsalted raw macadamia nuts (soaked in room temp water for 2 hours)
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp white or yellow miso paste
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp pepper
Stuffed Shells:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
- ½ tbsp Italian seasoning blend
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup vegan ricotta
- ½ cup vegan shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan
- 1 box large pasta shells
- 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
- Vegan parmesan and mozzarella for topping
Instructions
- Soak cashews and macadamia nuts in room temperature water for 2-3 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Add all of the ricotta ingredients to a blender and blend until you have a creamy, cheesy mixture. It doesn't have to be totally smooth - a little texture is fine.
- Start boiling water and cook pasta in salted water until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add mushrooms and Italian seasoning blend and cook, stirring frequently for 7-8 minutes. Add spinach and parsley and cook just until wilted.
- Pour mushroom + spinach mixture into a bowl. Stir in 1 cup of vegan ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Line bottom of baking pan with a generous layer of marinara. Using a small spoon, fill shells with ricotta mixture and arrange atop marinara. When finished, top with more vegan cheese (optional).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melty. Enjoy!
Notes
If you can't find unsalted macadamia nuts, use all cashews instead.
To speed up this recipe, feel free to use store-bought vegan ricotta and marinara.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: vegan stuffed shells
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