herby tofu ‘ricotta’ vegan stuffed shells

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce

• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 10 leaves of sage, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (I used soy milk to keep it nut-free)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Stuffed Shells

• 26-30 large pasta shells
• 1 block solid tofu, drained
• 1 teaspoon miso paste
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 clove of fresh garlic, crushed
• Juice and zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup parsley, stems removed
• 1/8 cup chives, roughly chopped
• 1 cup spinach, tightly packed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of a garlic bulb to expose the garlic cloves. Add tomatoes, garlic, and sage to an oven-safe baking dish and drizzle with oil. Wrap your garlic in some foil and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to bubble. After cooking, reset the oven’s heat to 350F.
2. Boil water in a large pot and salt it well. Boil your jumbo shells according to package directions. If you need a rough estimate, I cooked mine for 9 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain your pasta, rinse with cold water and set aside.
3. Now mix your sauce. Remove the garlic from its husk and pass it through the blender with the roasted tomatoes and sage. Add sunflower seeds, Italian seasoning, balsamic vinegar, salt, pasta water and plant-based milk, then blend on high speed until nice and smooth.
4. Add the tofu, miso paste, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, crushed garlic, lemon, and salt to a food processor and pulse several times to combine completely. Scrape the sides as needed. Now add the herbs and spinach and pulse to finely chop the greens into the tofu mixture.
5. Pour a few spoonfuls of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish you used to roast your tomatoes. Take a scoop of your tofu ricotta and fill each shell individually and place on the sauce-covered baking sheet.
6. After all the shells are filled, pour some sauce over the filled shells and put them in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Add some extra chopped chives for garnish and serve hot.

NOTES

• Adjust the flavors to your taste for both the tofu ricotta and the sauce. I usually start with these ingredients and add more as I progress. If I want the flavors to be a little sharper, I’ll add more acid in the form of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. If I want more freshness, I’ll add more fresh herbs to blend into the tofu. In this recipe, you control the flavor.
• To make prep time faster, you can skip making your own sauce and use a jar of your favorite vegan marinara sauce.
• Do not overprocess the tofu. We don’t need it to be super smooth. You still want it to have some texture, so I recommend pulsing your ingredients in the food processor.
• Cook your pasta lightly to al dente. Your pasta shells should come with instructions on how to boil them. Avoid overcooking your crusts as they will fall apart if you try to stuff them.