This crowd-pleasing Vegan Stuffed Shells recipe with the best tofu ricotta is a dairy-free spin on the classic loved by kids, meat eaters and vegans alike!
I was in vegan lasagna land when it dawned on me that I wasn’t taking full advantage of the glory that is tofu ricotta.
It’s a sinfully simple combination of drained and pressed extra firm tofu, garlic hummus, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt (basil optional!) that comes together to make a vegan ricotta that can and will knock your socks off.
You may notice that a lot of people use cashews to make dairy-free ricotta which sounds lovely but I just can’t quit this version!
Jeff requests my lasagna on the regular and I love making it because it makes a ton, as in two BIG pans. For me, that means not having to cook for two nights…cue the praise hands emoji.
Meat- and-potatoes-lover approved, people!
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells
These vegan stuffed shells are very similar to my lasagna but instead of layering the noodles, veggies, ricotta, and sauce, we’re simply stuffing the cute little shells with ricotta and dousing everything in marinara.
First thing’s first—press your tofu so we don’t have watery ricotta on our hands. I’ve sworn by this tofu press for years.
Next, boil those shells. You’ll see them referred to as jumbo shells as the store. You’ll want to cook them just until al dente since they’ll cook in they’ll continue to cook in the oven. Once they’re done, rinse with cold water to help prevent sticking.
A few shells will likely break, but don’t fret. As I mentioned earlier, this makes a LOT of stuffed shells (leftovers lover in the house!); note that the recipe can easily be halved.
Next up we’ll use the pressed tofu to make the ricotta. I like to fold in fresh basil or spinach for a nice pop of flavor and green color.
The we spread with a luscious marinara layer in the bottom of the big baking dish to keep things nice and moist. (I love this white baker because its’ huge.) No dry shell business up in here!
After stuffing the ricotta into the shells, we’ll top everything in more marinara, cover the pan with foil, and bake. You know I never discourage a little post bake fresh basil, either.
Which Marinara Sauce is Best?
We like things saucy. Rao’s is my favorite marinara by a landslide. It has an incredibly rich flavor and contains zero added sugar like most other sauces. I find that Kirkland organic marinara tastes extremely similar and is much cheaper so we grab a three-pack every time we go to Costco!
This is a crowd pleasing recipe if I ever saw one! Since it’s packed with plant-powered protein, these stuffed shells are a super satisfying AN filling meal. I wholeheartedly guarantee this will become a regular in your dinner rotation. Now go put your lasagna pants on!!
CRAVING MORE PASTA? DON’T MISS MY OTHER GO-TO RECIPES!
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Baked Spaghetti with Kale, Mushrooms, and Tofu Ricotta
- Vegan Summer Vegetable Lasagna Rolls
- Creamy Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta
- Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta
Please let me know how this vegan lasagna turns out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! I hope you adore it as much as Jeff does… 🙂
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This crowd-pleasing Vegan Stuffed Shells recipe with the best tofu ricotta is a dairy-free spin on the classic loved by kids, meat eaters and vegans alike!
Ingredients
For the tofu ricotta (can be made ahead):
- 2–14oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 10oz tub roasted garlic hummus (1 heaping cup)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Handful of fresh spinach or basil plus more for topping, finely chopped
For the shells:
- 1 12oz box jumbo shells
- 1–32oz jar marinara sauce
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook shells according to package directions, or about 10 minutes. Once cooked, rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.
- Remove tofu from package and press by wrapping in dish towel and squeezing water out or using a tofu press. Place in a mixing bowl and add hummus, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder. Use your hands to mix together until it resembles ricotta. Gently fold in basil or spinach.
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray two large baking dishes with cooking spray. Pour enough sauce into both pans to just cover the bottom. Using your fingers, stuff tofu ricotta into shells and place in baking dish. You should have just enough to fill two pans, assuming a few shells will break. Pour remaining marinara on top.
- Cover pans with foil and bake for 25 minutes. My dishes fit next to each other in the oven. You could also put them on separate racks, switching them halfway through.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot.
This is amazing! Just had it for dinner tonight, and both me and my husband agreed that we like it better than ricotta! Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Wahoo! thanks so much, Amanda!! You must try the lasagna next 🙂
Such an easy, and delicious recipe! I love making vegan recipes that you can’t even tell are vegan. The recipe for the ricotta is so simple, and much faster than using the traditional way of soaking cashews. Full of protein and nutrients, my toddler loved it as well! Looking forward to making it again!
★★★★★
Best news ever! I agree about the saving time piece 🙂 Thrilled you loved it, Melissa.
Hii,
As i told uh in my last comment that, i have read many of your recepies , and they were amazing …. the best part of ur recepies are they are working for me …. please share more and more recepies because i love to work on your recepies …….
thanks for sharing such a delicious list with us….
keep posting
cheers…
This tastes like chickpeas and tofu. Nothing more, nothing less. This shiz ain’t cheese, guys! It has fishy undertones, too, and got very burnt.
Do yourself a favor—use real fricken cheese. Stop mongering fear around dairy (an essential part of a balanced diet) and perpetuating the myth that vegan is healthier. Take whole grain noodles, like spelt or brown rice, or julienned zucchini, and layer that with low sugar Red sauce, low fat cheese, and diced veggies like onions and mushrooms. Make at 400 for 25 minutes. End of story. No more hummus or chickpeas in MY lasgene
★★
I’m bummed to hear this didn’t work for you, Mariana. I have nothing against the real deal and for those looking for “classic” stuffed shells/lasagna, this isn’t that; nonetheless, I do enjoy making alternative versions of the classics for my readers, many of which are plant-based. Not everyone eats dairy, no judgement–to each his/her own! Did you follow the recipe as written? It is the same ricotta used in my easy vegan lasagna that is one of the most made recipes on my site so I’d love to learn what went wrong here.
Do you think these would pair well with savory carrot bread? I’m planning my niece’s baby shower. Thanks for any input.
Hi! I’ve never heard of savory carrot bread, but we always eat them with garlic bread if that helps? ENJOY!
Hi dearie, I made garlic onion mini carrot muffins to serve with these, and as per your suggestion, garlic bread (Ezekiel buns with olive oil and minced garlic). The baby shower was this morning and my niece LOVED my food (her cousin brought the desserts, but everyone was focused on your killer shells).
My kids agree, by the way—I served this for dinner last night as a “test,” & my die hard carnivore daughter literally almost dropped her fork when I revealed my “dirty” tofu secret. Five stars for versatility (I can use the tofu cheese on lasagna, pizza, sweet potatoes) and deliciousness! You hit it out of the ballpark again, Alexis! ENCORE!!
I saw on Instagram that you’re in Japan— enjoy, Alexis, sweetie!
★★★★★
I am SO GLAD to hear this! Your comment made my night 🙂 Also, I agree..it would be so delish on sweet potatoes! Thanks again for such a glowing review. It means a ton to me!
I am not a health hippie like you, Alexis, so I don’t have nutritional yeast. What can I use instead? Lol.
You can find it in any grocery store–Kroger, Giant Eagle, or Amazon, etc. and it is inexpensive. It is essential in this recipe for the “cheesy” flavor since we are not using real cheese.
these look awesome! I have tahini in my fridge but not hummus. Any suggested subs? Thank you! 😉
Thanks! Nope, there aren’t any subs for the hummus (unless you want to make your own with the tahini). Enjoy!
thanks for your speedy response. Great idea— I have a can of chickpeas so I’ll just make my own. My husband BETTER notice lol ;). I’m giving you five for now (for presentation and creativity), but I’ll let you know how it goes afterwards. I’ll probably wish I could give six 😉
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Emma! Hope you all love it.
I’ve been making this for years! A couple years back I tried the vegan lasagna recipe and loved it. But, I frequently tinker with recipes. After making it a time or two more, I decided to do stuffed shells because it helps with portioning and was easier (for me) than layering lasagna noodles. Love that you’ve caught on to the fantastic-ness that is stuffed shells ;D (I also tend to cook up diced veggies to throw into my ricotta… bell pepper, and onion and if it’s not going to be shared with my bf, mushroom, or z.ucchinni.
We’ve taken this to several family gatherings with his folks and mine and it’s liked by the non-vegans and when I’ve taken it to work I’ve gotten oohs and ahs and ‘that smells good!’s, too. It’s a winner!
★★★★★
I love this!! What a great idea to add yummy veggies to the ricotta, too. Thanks tons for the feedback!
Can’t wait to try this! Do you think it could be all assembled ahead of time and then ready to pop in the oven at the end of the day? Thank you!
Hmmm I’ve never tried it but that should work! Maybe wait to do the sauce on top till right before you bake it.
This looks soooo good, but I have a question about the hummus? Is it a necessary ingredient? Just curious what it adds to the tofu ricotta. The reason I am asking is that I have everything but the hummus and do not want to make it without it if it really much better with the hummus.
Yep! The hummus provides moisture and flavor so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it or it’ll taste like straight tofu versus creamy ricotta.
OK… thank you! I will definitely add the hummus!
SO good! I need to make this again soon!
★★★★★
Dinner party at my place?!