Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Pumpkin Sauce
Ingredients
- 25 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
- 1 (14 ounce) package of firm tofu
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Creamy pumpkin sauce
- 1 small sugar pie pumpkin or butternut squash
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and set aside.
Cut the pumpkin in half, de-seed and carefully cut skin off. Cut into chunks, place the pumpkin on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes.
Ricotta
Meanwhile bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place your raw almonds into the boiling water. Let boil for 2 minutes.
Drain the almonds immediately in a colander or strainer and rinse them with cold water to cool them. Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel.
Use your fingers to gently squeeze the almonds and loosen the skin from them. Set skinless almonds in a bowl and set aside.
Remove tofu from package and wrap in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze for 20 seconds to allow for excess water to strain.
In a food processor or high speed blender combine tofu, blanched almonds, nutritional yeast, unsweetened almond milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until there are no chunks. Mixture will look lumpy and that is okay! Add more almond milk if needed.
In a small pan cook chopped spinach with 1 tbsp of water for 1 minute or until spinach is wilted down.
Once ricotta mixture is made and spinach is ready, combine the two in a medium size bowl and mix well. Taste mixture and add any extra salt or seasonings if needed.
Assembly
Blend the baked pumpkin with cashews, almond milk, filtered water, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, and garlic powder to make the creamy pumpkin sauce.
Stuff the cooked pasta shells with the ricotta mixture.
Place the stuffed shells in a baking dish, cover with the pumpkin sauce, and bake in the oven until heated through.
