These 5-ingredient vegan stuffed shells are such an easy and fancy vegan dinner!
A healthy vegan meal for the whole family
The savory filling in the plant-based shells can be made with just three ingredients, and there are NO cashews in this one!
They’re great for potlucks, holidays, or weekend family dinners. And when I made them once for guests visiting from out of town, apparently people didn’t even realize they were vegan.
One of my friends asked me when I’d started eating dairy again!
Vegan dessert suggestion: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade Vegan Stuffed Shells
High Protein
Oil Free
Dairy Free
Plant Based
Just 5 Ingredients
From start to finish, the entire recipe can come together in under 40 minutes. You simply boil the pasta, add the filling, and let the oven do the rest.
Served with roast vegetables or a side salad, it’s a healthy and filling meal that won’t weigh you down.
And while I wasn’t trying to make a vegan version that tastes exactly like traditional non-vegan stuffed shell recipes, it is delicious in its own right, not as a substitute for something else.
Side note: If you’re looking for jumbo whole wheat pasta shells, it surprisingly doesn’t seem like such a thing is available (at least in the US in 2019).
I just used regular jumbo shells, but they do make whole grain Brown Rice Pasta Shells (ingredients: stone ground brown rice, rice bran, and water) if you need a whole grain option.
Or it also works to stuff and roll up whole wheat lasagna noodles instead of shells if you prefer.
How To Make Stuffed Shells
Start by cooking the shell pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.
Drain off the water, but do not rinse.
Meanwhile, mash all remaining ingredients except sauce and optional cheese, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread 1/3 of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Stuff the shells with filling, then place the stuffed shells on top of the sauce in the pan.
Cover with all remaining sauce (and the cheese, if using), and bake on the center rack for 25 minutes.
I like to heat some extra pasta sauce to spread over top just before serving. Cover leftover pasta, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Or leftovers can also be frozen in an airtight container for weekly meal prep.
Also try this Vegan Banana Bread
You can make the recipe with either homemade or your favorite jarred pasta sauce.
Or for white stuffed shells, feel free to skip the tomatoes and cover it with my favorite Vegan Ranch Dressing or Vegan Cheese Sauce.
Here are 12 additional Vegan Pasta Recipes
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncooked jumbo shells
- 21 oz firm tofu (Soy Free Version here)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder, optional
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan
- 26 oz pasta sauce – jar or homemade, plus more for serving
- 1 cup cheese style shreds, optional
InstructionsÂ
- Cook shells according to package directions until just al dente. Drain but do not rinse. Meanwhile, mash together all remaining ingredients except sauce and optional cheese. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread 1/3 of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Stuff shells with filling, then place on top of the sauce in the pan. Cover with remaining sauce (and cheese, if using). Bake on the center rack 25 minutes. I like to heat extra pasta sauce to spread over top just before serving. Cover leftovers and refrigerate up to 4 days, or they can also be frozen.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Vegan Dinner Recipes:
Cheesy Black Bean Enchilada Soup
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes – The Better Way
Oh yes, Katie! My goodness I am craving this now.
I love stuffed shells! I will definitely be making this soon.
Excellent Preparation
Did you notice that this recipe has a ton of sodium? It’s about a half day’s worth for people under 50 years old and almost an entire day’s worth for those that are 50 years old and older. (Their daily recommended amount is 1500 mg.) I am thinking of leaving out most of the salt and being careful to select a low sodium sauce.
Hi! Using low sodium pasta sauce will definitely work!
Jason
I made this for dinner. Delicious and I love that I could use tofu instead of a high fat cheese.
This looks great! Do you use water packed tofu or MoriNu?
Use the water packed kind, in the fridge section of many grocery stores. Firm or extra firm 🙂
I totally forgot stuffed shells existed. I loved them as a kid. I want to make this…
I made these with lasagna noodles rolled up and they were absolutely delicious. So much lighter than using real cheese, and just as delicious. I would even use more garlic salt next time to up the cheesy flavor!
Love the idea to use lasagna noodles!
How many did you use? Would you describe a bit of your process? I am GF, and have not found GF shells as of yet. Thank you!
I’m GF as well. I’m pretty sure I recently saw GF Manicotti for sale and plan to try them.
Very interesting,will surely try to make and eat,good job and thanks for sharing such a good recipe.
Do you need to press the tofu beforehand?
We did not 🙂
Awesome! Thank you! I made this tonight and my whole family loved it! My kids even wanted seconds. Thank you for sharing this recipe!