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 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (14 ounces) container firm tofu
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tablespoon 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 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ground pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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 after discarding the water and blend with 1 1/2 cups filtered water on high until smooth.
Add cooked onions, garlic, and butternut squash to the blender and blend until smooth.
Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.
Spread half the sauce in a baking dish.
Remove tofu from package and wrap in 2 paper towels.
Squeeze the tofu for 10 seconds then break it apart into a food processor.
Add salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder to the food processor.
Pulse 6-10 times until the consistency of ricotta cheese and adjust salt and seasonings as needed.
In a pan, add frozen spinach and season with a small pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook the spinach for 2-3 minutes then remove and add to the ricotta mixture.
Pulse the spinach into the ricotta 3-4 times.
Cook pasta shells, drain, and immediately drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Spoon the ricotta mixture into each pasta shell and place in the baking dish with the sauce.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Garnish with fresh basil and chili pepper flakes and enjoy.
