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

By Street Food Spectacle

March 18, 2026

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Selfmade 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 company visiting from out of city, and apparently folks didn’t even notice they have been vegan. Certainly one of my associates 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 choice as properly.

Dessert suggestion: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Spinach Stuffed Shells (Vegan, Dairy Free)

Step-by-step recipe video

The whole recipe comes collectively in underneath 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 remainder.

Quick, fast, and really easy.

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

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

Components for vegan stuffed shells

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

For a white stuffed shell variation, use Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce or Vegan Alfredo Sauce as an alternative 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 embrace a soy free various within the recipe field under. Or you possibly can substitute mashed white beans or selfmade cashew ricotta.

Dietary yeast – This ingredient imparts a tacky taste to the tofu ricotta. Look to purchase fortified dietary yeast should you can. It comprises quite a few nutritional vitamins and minerals, together with vitamin B12, which is a vital nutrient vegans ought to be certain that to get of their weight-reduction plan. 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. Chances are you’ll add different spices as desired, reminiscent of a pinch of black pepper or nutmeg, dried thyme, or rosemary.

Spinach – I like stirring chopped frozen spinach or kale into the filling, for additional calcium, iron, and diet. The colourful inexperienced additionally makes the casserole dish look so fairly! It’s completely high quality to omit the spinach if you’re serving choosy eaters or just choose 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 gentle. Oil will provide you with a richer taste however the recipe remains to be scrumptious should you use water as an alternative.

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

What kind of pasta works greatest?

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 in order for you one in every of these specialty choices and can’t discover them, be happy to substitute manicotti tubes or cannelloni.

An alternative choice is to make lasagna roll ups with cooked lasagna noodles as an alternative of shells.

Brief on dinner time? Cook dinner up some macaroni, penne, spaghetti, or small pasta shells and serve in bowls combined with the tofu ricotta and tomato sauce. No stuffing required.

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

The best way to make the dairy free stuffed shell pasta

Start by cooking the shell pasta in a big pot of salted water in response to 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 combined.
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 prepare 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 quilt, and proceed to prepare dinner for one more 5 minutes or till the sauce is sizzling and bubbly and shells seem evenly golden.
Whereas the dish bakes within the oven, I wish to warmth up further sauce for serving, as a result of I like additional tomato sauce on my stuffed shells.

Serve sizzling, on plates or in bowls. Enable any leftovers to chill earlier than masking the pan or transferring shells to coated 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 choice. Thaw and reheat earlier than having fun with.

Healthy Vegan Spinach Stuffed Shells (No Cashews)

1. Cook dinner pasta in a big pot of salted water, in response to 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 combined.
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 prepare 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 quilt and proceed cooking one other 5 minutes or till sauce is bubbly and shells are evenly golden.
10. Whereas the vegan stuffed shells prepare dinner, I wish to warmth up further sauce for serving.
11. Serve sizzling, or permit to chill totally earlier than masking and refrigerating or transferring the shells to meal prep containers and freezing leftovers for later.