Vegan Stuffed Shells

These vegan stuffed shells are cheesy, flavorful comfort food. They’re filled with my homemade vegan ricotta cheese, fresh spinach, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.

Peach Cobbler

Vegan stuffed shells are a BIG favorite around my house. The cheesy, creamy vegan ricotta plays well off the chewy, textured pasta shells. And, the Marinara is homemade which gives this dish an overtone of freshness with a few sprinkles of love. Everyone who eats these stuffed shells comes back for more!

These vegan stuff shells are the ultimate comfort food. What do I love most about them? They’re SO easy to make and it’s great for serving a group. This recipe is a winner at a dinner party or late brunch and is always a guaranteed hit! I use my own homemade ricotta cheese and homemade Mariana sauce which gives these vegan stuffed shells a clean, fresh experience as well as being just plain delicious. You can use store-bought ricotta and marinara sauce – these work just as well. However, if you like try my homemade versions and you’ll never go back to store-bought.

A vegan food journal with fresh, delicious recipes.

Hello, I'm Denise.

I love to eat, garden, travel, and do yin yoga! I make plant-based recipes and photograph them from my 1920’s, remodeled apartment in Rhode Island. I've always loved fresh basil. Put some fresh basil leaves on a piece of cardboard, drizzle on a little olive oil and sea salt, and I'd be tempted to eat it! ❤️

Peach Cobbler

Vegan Stuffed Shells Recipe Ingredients

To make this vegan stuffed shells recipe you’ll need only a handful of pantry ingredients.

    • The shells – You’ll need jumbo shells for this recipe
    • Tomato/Marinara sauce – Use your favorite store-bought sauce or make my homemade marinara recipe. It’s simple, fresh, and delicious.
    • Add the vegan ricotta filling – This is a mix of my homemade vegan ricotta cheese and steamed, chopped fresh spinach. I also stir in dried oregano, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, garlic, and grated vegan cheese
Peach Cobbler

How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells

This vegan stuffed shells recipe is a fairly dramatic dish and it’s great for dinner parties or late brunches.

First up, steam the spinach. Before you put together the vegan ricotta filling you’ll need to steam the spinach. When it’s about 1/2 wilted and vibrant green, removed it from the heat, place it in a strainer, and press out the excess moisture. Rough chop it. Then, you can stir it together with the ricotta, vegan parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and red pepper flakes to make the filling.

Almond Milk

Meanwhile, cook the pasta. It should be just shy of al dente when you drain it. It’ll finish cooking in the oven.

Then, stuff the shells! Use a small spoon her so that you’re able to fill up the shells without a lot of mess. Be sure to plump up those shells. Divide evenly. This will make between 16-20 shells.

Next, bake. Spread 2 cups of marinara sauce at the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Nestle in the shells, cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes at 425°F.

If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, you can place the stuffed shells in the baking dish, cover it with foil, and place it in the fridge for up to 4 hours. When you’re, just bake the shells and serve. For freezing instructions, see the notes in the recipe.

Stuffed Shells Serving Suggestions

Garnish the stuffed shells with grated vegan Parmesan and sprinkle on some fresh parsley or gremolata. I also serve with extra marinara on the side. My family loves to spoon it over the shells as they eat ensuring plenty of sauce on every bite!

Quickly bake up a fresh, aromatic loaf of our homemade five-ingredient bread (which happens to be vegan, but it is as delicious as regular bread.

Round out the meal with a green salad and good bread. I often serve these stuffed shells with my baby beet greens salad or my peach and arugula salad. Any salad will pair well with this vegan stuffed shells recipe.

Enjoy!

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Denise Keniston - Basil Lover
These vegan stuffed shells are saucy, cheesy, and delicious! They're filled with a creamy, flavorful mix of fresh spinach, lemon zest, and vegan ricotta cheese.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 16-20 jumbo pasta shells
  • 5 oz spinach
  • 2 cups vegan ricotta cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups marinara sauce, more for serving
  • chopped parsely

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven the 425°
  • Place the spinach in a steamer basket and set over a pot with 1-inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and let steam for 1 minute, until the spinach is wilted. Transfer to a strainer and squeeze out the excess water and chop the spinach.
  • In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta shells for 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the spinach with the ricotta, vegan Parmesan, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
  • Spread the marinara in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the filling and place in the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with more marinara on the side.

Notes

This recipe freezes well! After you've assembled the shells in the baking dish, cover with foil and freeze them. To thaw, transfer the dish to the fridge about 10 hours before you plan to serve (i.e. the morning that you plan to serve them for dinner). Remove from the fridge and let sit at room temp while the oven preheats. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, or until thawed and warmed through.
Keyword ricotta stuffed shells, stuffed shells, vegan stuffed shells
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