Meaty Vegan Stuffed Shells with Tofu Ricotta

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These meaty vegan stuffed shells satisfy will satisfy all your comfort food cravings without the meat or dairy. They have a tangy homemade meat sauce that is packed with flavor and super meaty vegan ground beef. Rich, decadent cheesiness comes from combining crumbled tofu with creamy blended cashews and a light dusting of vegan cheese. Even your family's biggest meat lover will most devour this vegan comfort food with abandon because it is insanely delicious.

overhead view of a pan of baked meaty vegan stuffed shells

What is Vegan Meat?

Vegan meat is a food substitute for meat that's made without animal products. Most are made with soy or seitan or some combination of the two. The last several years have seen an explosion of these products on the market. Many are so realistic that they even look like, taste like and cook like meat!

These products are great for new vegans or people trying to cut down on meat consumption for health reasons because they are really easy to sub into recipes. Many of them are lower in saturated fat and calories than their animal meat counterparts. For people watching their sodium and saturated fat consumption, it is important to read the labels.

I am usually a meat substitute skeptic because I do not really miss meat much at all. However, in developing this recipe, I used a ground meat substitute and I must confess. It was absolutely glorious! In this recipe I used Impossible meat. This is not a sponsored ad, I just wanted to make a meat sauce that was as meaty as possible while still being vegan. Here are the facts about Impossible meat .

Most meat substitutes are soy based, have a decent amount of oils, starches and things that are not necessarily whole Foods. If that bothers you, simply skip the "meat" in this meaty vegan stuffed shells recipe.

Why you'll love this Stuffed Shells Recipe

Super cozy and comforting meal
Vegan and dairy free
Meaty, Cheesy and so satisfying
Filling and hearty meal
Perfect for meal prep, make a tray today and eat for several days
Family friendly, kids love them
The tangy homemade sauce is way better than bottled
Good for you ingredients like tofu and cashews make this a healthier alternative to traditional stuffed shells recipes that are higher in fat and calories

Vegan Cheese Tip

It is really important when working with vegan cheeses to keep it light. They give a great nuance of cheese with their melty texture but if you go too heavy as if it is really dairy the texture gets unpleasantly sticky and tacky. I used GOODPLANet FOODS smoked gouda to give this a cheesy texture and decadent feel. I really like the flavor of their vegan cheeses but you can use any you like. Just remember, go light!

overhead image of meaty vegan stuffed shells in a tray with 3 on a plate

Meaty Vegan Stuffed Shells Ingredients

This recipes has a decent sized ingredient list because we are actually making a couple of separate components: a homemade tomato based meat sauce, our own vegan ricotta, and then assembling them together to make the finished product.

These ingredients are mostly basic pantry ingredients. Feel free to substitute spinach for the kale if you prefer. And omit the fake meat if you do not eat processed foods. Instead substitute a can of cooked lentils or tempeh that has been blitzed in a blender until it has the texture of ground beef. Here is a breakdown of the ingredients you will need for this vegan recipe.

Yellow onion and garlic: Savory base for the sauce
Baby Bell Peppers: To add a little sweetness
Vegan Ground Beef: I used Impossible meat here but you can use Beyond, Gardein crumbles or Morningstar crumblers or whatever brand vegan ground beef or mince that you can find.
Crushed tomatoes- I love the texture of crushed as opposed to diced tomatoes or tomato sauce. Crushed has a great concentrated and bright tomato flavor
Firm Tofu: Gives the vegan ricotta great texture
Cashews: For major creaminess
Italian Seasoning- Pungent flavor booster for pasta dishes
Nutritional Yeast- Helps give that umami and cheesy flavor
Kale- Gotta get your greens in!
Vegan Cheese-I used smoked gouda style cheese as it has a great flavor
Hemp Hearts-They add texture and protein
Turbinado Sugar- To balance the acidity of the sauce
Large Shell Pasta- For stuffing!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

Time saving tip: Buy a jar of your favorite pasta sauce and add it to the cooked "meat" instead of making the sauce homemade. No shame in that game.

close up image of a tray of cooked meaty vegan stuffed shells

How to Make Meaty Vegan Stuffed Shells

This stuffed shells recipe is a bit more involved than my usual pasta recipes. But, I assure you that it is still fairly simple even though it involves quite a bit of preparation. That is why I consider this the perfect weekend or Holiday recipe. If you start it after lunch you will have a glorious baked pasta dinner.

Make the sauce. In a large saucepan over medium heat add the oil. Once hot, add the garlic, onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant and browning. Add the vegan "ground beef", season with a pinch of salt and break it apart into small pieces in the pan and cook until it turns brown and solid just like beef does. It will take about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and sugar if using. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Cook the pasta according to the box, drain well and rinse with cold water so that it is easy to handle. Reserve until the assembly step.
Make the "ricotta" in a large bowl by combining tofu, nutritional yeast, hemp hearts, and kale. Blend the cashews and water in a blender until creamy and pourable and add to the bowl with the tofu and other ingredients. Mix until well combined.
Assemble the shells. In an oven safe lasagna pan place several ladle fulls of sauce on the bottom of the pan to nest the filled shells on. Using a scoop or tablespoon fill each cooked shell with about 1 oz of the tofu ricotta filling. Fill all the shells. Top with remaining sauce and vegan shredded cheese. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes. It is ready when the cheese on top is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Optional bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered if you like crispy pasta edges.

Tips for Making the Best Stuffed Shells

Make it whole foods by substituting crumbled tempeh or cooked lentils for the meatless meat in the sauce.
Use fresh herbs to boost the flavor instead of dry. Chopped basil, oregano, mint and parsley are great cooked into sauces or stirred into the ricotta
Make it easy by buying a jarred pasta sauce and a prepared vegan ricotta. Then you can skip alot of the prep! Just brown the meat and add the store-bought sauce. Then stuff your cooked shells with the store ricotta cheese instead of preparing the tofu ricotta.
Make it vegetarian instead of vegan by using real mozzarella instead of vegan cheese. The combo of homemade vegan ricotta and dairy mozzarella is tantalizing and family friendly.
Add veggies! Diced eggplant, zucchini and squash taste delicious in the sauce. Just add them in during the saute step.

overhead view of a large pan of cooked meaty vegan stuffed shells

FAQs

Do I need to make this vegan?

Well, I prefer it vegan but if you want to sub in animal products for the vegan counterparts, of course you may! But I do suggest keeping the tofu and cashew ricotta because of it's great texture and healthy fats.

I hate kale, can I leave it out?

Yes you can, but I suggest you substitute spinach for the kale. You know you should eat more vegetables!

I can't find shells, what should I do?

You can substitute manicotti for the shells if you can't find them. Another option is to use lasagna noodles and make it a lasagna instead.

Other Delicious Vegan Comfort Food Recipes

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