Cashew & Tofu “Ricotta” Stuffed Shells w/ Sweet Potato

As kids, stuffed shells were a regular at the dinner table. We love challenging ourselves to make our old favorite, non-vegan dishes. So with the help of our mom, we created this delicious recipe. It is a favorite amongst our vegan and non-vegan friends and family! Also, we love that it is super easy to make and the perfect dish to make for a crowd. You can make it ahead of time, refrigerate and then bake when ready!

These stuffed shells are a delicious take on the classic stuffed shells. We make a rich cashew cream by blending (we love THIS blender for the creamiest cashew cream):

Cashews

Garlic

Lemon juice & water

And to make the “ricotta,” we mix the cashew cream with:

Extra Firm Tofu (pressed)

Spinach

& Spices

We stuff the filling into jumbo shells and top it all with sweet potato and marinara – YUM (use THIS to easily stuff the shells)! And the addition of sweet potato gives makes for an absolutely amazing combo. You won’t regret giving these a try!

We love to serve these with a simple salad (loving poppyseed dressing lately & most are surprisingly vegan!) Check out this one! 🙂 Garlic bread is another easy side. Just slice fresh, vegan bread in half long ways, spread a good amount of vegan butter on top (we use this one) and cover with garlic salt & parsley, then bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes!

Cashew & Tofu “Ricotta” Stuffed Shells w/ Sweet Potato

These are a family favorite – surprisingly easy and super delicious!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course dinner

Ingredients

  

• 1 sweet potato can sub for butternut squash
• ~25 jumbo shells

For the cashew cream:

• 1 1/2 cups cashews soaked in warm water for 4 hours (if you're on a time crunch, you can pour boiling water over cashews and let sit for 15 mins)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup room temperature water more if needed

For the tofu ricotta:

• 1 14-16 oz package extra firm tofu pressed then crumbled
• 1 – 2 cups chopped spinach or kale
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp chives dry or minced fresh works
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper omit if you do not like spice

For topping:

• 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce add more if you like it extra saucy!

Instructions

 

• Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Place on a baking pan with some olive oil and roast at 375°F for ~25 minutes. Once done, preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cook the shells according to directions on the box.
• Place all ingredients for the cashew cream into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Add water as needed.
• In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the tofu ricotta. Pour the cashew cream into the bowl and mix it all together.
• Fill each shell with the filling (check out the easiest way to do this above!) and top each with a few cubes of baked sweet potato.
• Spread 1/4 of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a large glass baking dish. Place the shells on the dish.
• Drizzle the rest of the marinara sauce over them all.
• Cover with foil and bake for ~30 minutes. Enjoy!