Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Pasta with Creamy Squash Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 ounce bag frozen spinach (optional)
- Pasta shells
- Fresh basil to garnish
- Chili pepper flakes
Vegan ricotta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 (14 ounces) container firm tofu
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
Creamy squash sauce
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Soak 1/2 cup cashews in hot water for at least 10 minutes.
Cook the cubed butternut squash by steaming for 10 minutes or boiling until fork tender.
In a pan, sauté onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil for 4 minutes.
In a blender, add the cashews and discard the water, then add 1 1/2 cups filtered water and blend on high until smooth.
Add cooked onions, garlic, and butternut squash to the blender and blend until smooth.
Add the remaining sauce ingredients and blend until well combined.
Spread half the amount of sauce in a baking dish.
Remove tofu from package and wrap in 2 paper towels.
Squeeze tofu for 10 seconds then break apart into a food processor.
To the food processor, add salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder.
Pulse 6-10 times until the consistency of ricotta cheese and taste and adjust salt and seasonings as needed.
In a pan, add frozen spinach and season with a small pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook spinach for 2-3 minutes or microwave for about 2 minutes.
Remove spinach from pan and add to ricotta mixture.
Pulse 3-4 times into the ricotta to incorporate.
Cook pasta shells according to package instructions, drain, and immediately drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Spoon ricotta mixture into each pasta shell and place in the prepared baking dish with sauce.
Repeat with remaining pasta shells and filling.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
