These vegan ricotta stuffed shells are the ultimate comfort food with jumbo shells stuffed with creamy vegan ricotta cheese, smothered with tomato sauce, and vegan cheese. This is a dish to impress.
Friends… these vegan ricotta stuffed shells are so tasty.
I may have even pulled leftovers from the fridge cold and enjoyed them.
They are making my mouth water thinking of them.
I will be real honest and say this is not the quickest meal to make.
If you choose not to make the homemade tomato sauce, just grab your favorite sauce from the grocery store then it’s a quick and easy dinner.
I will leave that up to you.
Not that the homemade sauce is hard to make; it’s just time-consuming waiting for it to do its magic on the stove.
What I like about this sauce is you can sneak even more vegetables into your kid’s diet.
That is if your kids aren’t uber picky like one of mine.
My picky child would hardly give this meal a side glance.
I made him try it, and instantly upon touching his lips, he didn’t like it, insert a huge eye roll.
He ended up making himself a peanut butter and jelly for dinner because some arguments are just not worth it.
However, my 9-year-old thought this was the best meal ever.
I then had to share it with my friends and their kids to get the final verdict if it was blog-worthy, and I got a big thumbs up.
So, in conclusion, if you have a picky kid, I am sorry, and I feel your pain.
But the overall verdict was this is a regular dinner rotation.
I like to save these meals that require a little more time for a special occasion or the holiday season.
This one is perfect for Valentine’s day or when guests come over.
This would be delicious with a side of garlic bread, yum, and a salad or roasted vegetables.
Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells Recipe Q&A
Can I use other pasta than the large pasta shells?
Yes, if you’d prefer to use a manicotti noodle or whatever type of noodle that can house a filling feel free to do so.
Can I buy a vegan ricotta cheese instead of making this recipe?
You absolutely could; however, I think this one is way too good not to make, and it’s really easy to make and cheaper than buying it.
Can I make the vegan ricotta nut-free?
I have never tried it, but I think you could use extra-firm tofu in place of the nuts and have delicious vegan tofu ricotta.
Can you make this pasta dish ahead of time?
Yes, you can make it up, place it in the fridge, and cover it with plastic wrap.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven and cook it according to the directions (remove the plastic wrap first).
You will need to add a few minutes to the baking time due to it being cold.
What ingredients do you need for these vegan ricotta stuffed shells?
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- oil
- onion
- carrots
- celery
- salt
- black pepper
- canned crushed tomatoes + canned tomato sauce
- dried oregano and basil
- brown sugar
- fresh garlic
- slivered almonds
- nutritional yeast
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- raw cashews
- vegan mozzarella cheese
- Jumbo pasta shells
How do you make these vegan stuffed shells?
You’re going to start by making your sauce.
Or, if you want to shorten the recipe time, you can use your favorite pasta sauce.
You will need about 5 cups of your favorite marinara sauce if you choose not to make your own.
Now get a medium pot; add your oil, chopped onion, chopped carrots, chopped celery, and garlic on medium to high heat.
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the vegetable softens up a bit.
Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the pot, and stir until combined.
Put a lid on the pot and bring it to a low simmer; cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Once cooked, take an emersion blender or carefully a regular blender and blend the vegetables so the sauce doesn’t have large chunks in it; set aside.
While the sauce is cooking boil a large pot of water for the giant pasta shells.
Cook the shells according to the package instructions for al dente; mine took about 10 minutes.
Once cooked, strain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Take a 9×13 baking dish and lightly grease it.
While the noodles and sauce are cooking, you can make the ricotta.
Take your high-speed blender or food processor and mix all the ricotta ingredients, except the cashew parmesan and vegan mozzarella.
Blend until it still has some chunkiness to it but not big chunks. Look at the picture.
Once blended, stir in your vegan cheeses until mixed and set aside.
Take your cooked shells and fill them with the ricotta mixture. The amount will depend on the size of your noodles.
Take your 9×13 pan, pour about half of the tomato sauce, and spread evenly to make a layer of sauce.
Then take the filled shells, place them evenly in the pan/sauce, and cover the top of the shells evenly with the remaining tomato sauce.
Sprinkle with vegan cheese if desired.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
I have a really tasty vegan cashew parmesan cheese I use in this recipe; I always have this made up in my fridge, ready to go.
You can make this one or buy a vegan parm, whatever works for you. This recipe is in the recipe below.
How do you serve these vegan ricotta shells?
These are best served warm with a side salad, roasted vegetables, garlic bread, or whatever you like with your pasta.
How do you store leftovers?
Let this come to room temperature, then place in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
You can reheat it in the oven or the microwave.
Can you freeze these amazing stuffed shells?
Yes, you can freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe casserole dish, cover it with aluminum foil, and cover it in an extra-large freezer-safe bag to prevent freezer burn.
To defrost, let it come to room temperature in the fridge, then follow the original baking instructions. It may take a bit longer because it’s cold.
Do you want some more vegan comfort food recipes?
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce Or skip this and use store bought
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2/3 cup onion chopped
- 2/3 cup celery chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 14 oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 1/4 tsp basil dried
- 1 1/4 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Ricotta
- 2 cups slivered raw almonds
- 1 TB nutritional yeast
- 2 TB lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp basil dried
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella
- 1/2 cup vegan cashew parmesan *recipe below*
Pasta
- 20 shells Jumbo pasta shells
- sprinkle salt for water
Instructions
- Start by making your sauce. Add your oil, chopped onion, carrots, chopped celery, and garlic to a medium pot. Cook on medium to high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally stirring until the vegetable softens up. Now add the remaining sauce ingredients, and stir until combined. Put a lid on the pot, bring it to a low simmer, and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Once cooked, take an emersion blender or carefully a regular blender and blend the vegetables so the sauce doesn't have large chunks in it; set aside.
- While the sauce is cooking, boil the water for the shells. Cook the shells according to the package instructions; mine took about 10 minutes. Once cooked, strain and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a 9×13 pan and lightly grease it.
- While the noodles and sauce are cooking, you can make the Ricotta. Take your high-speed blender or food processor and mix all the ricotta ingredients, except the cashew parmesan and vegan mozzarella. Blend until it still has some chunkiness to it but not big chunks. Look at the picture. Once blended, stir in your vegan cheeses until mixed and set aside.
- Take your shells and fill them with the ricotta mixture. The amount will depend on the size of your noodles. Take your 9×13 pan, pour about half of the tomato sauce, and spread evenly to make a layer of sauce. Then take the filled shells, place them evenly in the pan/sauce, and cover them evenly with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with vegan cheese if desired—Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
- **If you don't want to make your own pasta sauce, you can use your favorite store-bought sauce. This recipe uses about 5 cups of sauce.
- Cashew Parm recipe
- 3/4 cup raw cashews
- Two tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Mix all ingredients into a food processor or small blender (like a twister Blendtec) and process until it’s a little finer than cornmeal.
Notes
Nutrition
If you loved this recipe, then give it a 5 star rating and leave a comment! I love to chat with you all. Please feel free to share on social media and tag #courtneyshomestead. I would love to see you over on Instagram or Facebook.
Altered recipe from Mels Kitchen- https://www.melskitchencafe.com/cheesy-ricotta-stuffed-shells/
Altered recipe for ricotta from – https://minimalistbaker.com/whipped-almond-ricotta-5-ingredients/
Bryon Bromley
Tuesday 27th of September 2022
Want to impress your significant other with a home cooked meal? Look no further than this gourmet stuffed pasta recipe. My wife was delighted by the effort and the results. The hand stuffed shells (or - I went with manicotti) and the scratch cooked sauce make an impression. And the secret is: the recipe is actually pretty easy to follow! Do yourself a favor and make this one tonight.