Vegan Stuffed Shells – Straightforward, Excessive Protein Recipe (No Cashews!)

By Dental88

March 18, 2026

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Do-it-yourself vegan stuffed shells are such a simple and comforting fancy excessive protein vegan dinner!

Easy Vegan Stuffed Shells (Vegetarian Dinner)

Why you’ll love these vegan stuffed shells

The recipe is nice for potlucks, holidays, or weekend household dinners.
Low fats, low calorie, no ldl cholesterol, and over 27 grams of protein per serving!
I made them as soon as for friends visiting from out of city, and apparently folks didn’t even notice they had been vegan. One in all my mates requested me once I’d began consuming dairy once more. That’s how good these plant primarily based Italian stuffed shells style.
The tacky savory filling requires simply three components and no cashews. This meatless dish is totally nut free and dairy free, with an oil free possibility as effectively.

Dessert suggestion: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Spinach Stuffed Shells (Vegan, Dairy Free)

Step-by-step recipe video

All the recipe comes collectively in beneath 40 minutes, from begin to end. You merely boil and drain the pasta, add the hearty nondairy ricotta cheese filling, and let the oven do the remaining.

Quick, fast, and really easy.

Serve with steamed or roasted greens, or with a aspect salad and toasted garlic bread, for a wholesome and filling vegetarian meal that even meat eaters will take pleasure in.

These don’t style precisely like basic stuffed shell recipes with dairy cheese, nor ought to they. The shells are fully scrumptious in their very own proper, not as an alternative to one thing else.

Components for vegan stuffed shells

Tomato sauce – Use any household favourite jarred pasta sauce for the quickest possibility. Or make your individual home made tomato pasta sauce from scratch.

For a white stuffed shell variation, use Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce or Vegan Alfredo Sauce as a substitute of tomato sauce.

Tofu – The recipe requires 22 ounces of agency tofu, discovered within the refrigerated part of grocery shops or well being meals shops. I additionally embody a soy free various within the recipe field under. Or you may substitute mashed white beans or home made cashew ricotta.

Dietary yeast – This ingredient imparts a tacky taste to the tofu ricotta. Look to purchase fortified dietary yeast in case you can. It accommodates quite a few nutritional vitamins and minerals, together with vitamin B12, which is a crucial nutrient vegans ought to make certain to get of their food regimen. Substitute an equal quantity of vegan Parmesan cheese for the yeast if you want.

Spices – Onion powder, salt, and dried oregano give extra taste to the shell filling. You could add different spices as desired, comparable to a pinch of black pepper or nutmeg, dried thyme, or rosemary.

Spinach – I like stirring chopped frozen spinach or kale into the filling, for further calcium, iron, and vitamin. The colourful inexperienced additionally makes the casserole dish look so fairly! It’s completely high-quality to omit the spinach in case you are serving choosy eaters or just want plain stuffed shells.

Oil or water – Two tablespoons of water or oil (I like olive oil) add moisture to the filling and retains the tofu mushy. Oil will provide you with a richer taste however the recipe remains to be scrumptious in case you use water as a substitute.

Vegan cheese (elective) – Some folks prefer to high their stuffed shells with a layer of melty shredded mozzarella cheese. I typically skip this step, nonetheless you completely can sprinkle in your favourite nondairy cheese earlier than baking the dish within the oven.

What sort of pasta works finest?

You want eight ounces of raw egg free jumbo shells, which must be available within the pasta aisle of most native grocery shops.

Packaged entire wheat, low carb, or gluten free pasta shells are sometimes tougher to find. So if you need one in all these specialty choices and can’t discover them, be at liberty to substitute manicotti tubes or cannelloni.

Another choice is to make lasagna roll ups with cooked lasagna noodles as a substitute of shells.

Quick on time for supper? Prepare dinner up some macaroni, penne, spaghetti, or small pasta shells and serve in bowls blended with the tofu ricotta and tomato sauce. No stuffing required.

Nonetheless craving pasta? Make Pumpkin Mac And Cheese or Vegan Cacio e Pepe

Tips on how to make the dairy free stuffed shell pasta

Start by cooking the shell pasta in a big pot of salted water in line with bundle instructions, till simply al dente. Drain off the water, however don’t rinse.
In the meantime, mash the tofu in a big mixing bowl. Stir within the dietary yeast, salt, onion powder, and oregano till evenly blended.
Thaw frozen spinach, blot off extra liquid, and roughly chop. Stir the spinach and elective oil or water into the tofu combination.
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius.
Unfold a few third of the tomato sauce into the underside of a 9×13 inch rectangular baking pan with a spatula, evenly masking the underside of the pan.
Portion the tofu vegan ricotta filling into the cooked pasta. Then organize the shells on high of the sauce within the ready pan.
Unfold all remaining sauce over the stuffed shells. Sprinkle on vegan cheese, if utilizing.
Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven, and canopy the highest of the pan with a baking sheet or a layer of tin foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
Rigorously take away the duvet, and proceed to cook dinner for an additional 5 minutes or till the sauce is sizzling and bubbly and shells seem frivolously golden.
Whereas the dish bakes within the oven, I prefer to warmth up further sauce for serving, as a result of I like further tomato sauce on my stuffed shells.

Serve sizzling, on plates or in bowls. Permit any leftovers to chill earlier than masking the pan or transferring shells to lined containers and refrigerating.

Saved within the fridge, the recipe ought to keep recent for as much as 5 days. Or freeze in hermetic containers for a simple vegan meal prep possibility. Thaw and reheat earlier than having fun with.

Healthy Vegan Spinach Stuffed Shells (No Cashews)

1. Prepare dinner pasta in a big pot of salted water, in line with bundle instructions, simply till al dente. Drain, however don’t rinse.
2. In a big bowl, mash the tofu, dietary yeast, salt, onion powder, and oregano till evenly blended.
3. Thaw froze spinach (if utilizing), and blot off extra water. Roughly chop. Stir elective oil and spinach into the tofu ricotta.
4. Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius.
5. Unfold a few third of the tomato sauce into the underside of a 9×13 inch pan.
6. Stuff the cooked pasta shells with tofu filling, then organize on high of the sauce within the pan.
7. Evenly unfold all remaining sauce over the shells. Sprinkle on a layer of vegan cheese if desired, and place the pan on the middle rack of the oven.
8. Cowl the highest of the casserole dish with a skinny baking sheet or a layer of tin foil. Bake 20 minutes.
9. Take away the duvet and proceed cooking one other 5 minutes or till sauce is bubbly and shells are frivolously golden.
10. Whereas the vegan stuffed shells cook dinner, I prefer to warmth up further sauce for serving.
11. Serve sizzling, or enable to chill totally earlier than masking and refrigerating or transferring the shells to meal prep containers and freezing leftovers for later.