Meatless Monday
Made these stuffed shells tonight and
they are absolutely delicious. So filling and so healthy
Adapted from: Clean Food by Terry
Walters
Yield: approx. 30 shells or 6 servings
3.5 cups pasta sauce
340 grams jumbo pasta shells (I used 30 shells
or 2/3 of the box – but make extra as some break)
Tofu Ricotta:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium sweet onion,
diced
2 tsp extra virgin olive
oil
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup packed fresh
basil leaves, minced
1/2 cup packed fresh
parsley, minced
1 (14oz) package
extra-firm or firm tofu, pressed
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
3/4-1 tsp fine grain sea
salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
or red pepper flakes (optional)
1. Rinse block of tofu
and wrap with paper towels followed by 2-3 tea towels. Place it on a cutting
board or plate and add several heavy cookbooks on top. Press tofu for about
20-25 minutes to drain out the water. Alternatively, you can use a tofu press.
2. Grease a very large
casserole dish. I used about 30 shells, but you’ll need to cook more than that
as some shells will break during the cooking process. Cook shells in a pot of
boiling water until al dente, about 8-11 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.
Drain shells and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 400F.
For the tofu ricotta: In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and onion in the oil
for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the chopped celery,
basil, and parsley and sauté for another 5 minutes or so. Feel free to throw in
some spinach for extra greens.
4. For the tofu, you can
either crumble it into the skillet with your hands or you can give it a whirl
in the food processor and then stir it into the skillet. If you use the
processor, the texture will be very creamy like ricotta cheese and if you
crumble it with your hands it will be more chunky/crumbly. It’s up to you how
you want to make it. I usually opt to crumble it by hand so I don’t dirty the
processor. Stir in the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, lemon, and cayenne all
to taste. Over medium heat, cook for about 8-10 minutes or until most of the
water cooks off.
5. Spoon about 1 cup of
marinara sauce into the casserole dish and spread around. Add about 2 tbsp of
tofu ricotta into each stuffed shell and place shells on top of marinara sauce.
Cover shells with the remaining 2-2.5 cups marinara sauce and any leftover tofu
ricotta. You can add vegan cheese on top, but I don’t bother. Cover dish with
tin foil and poke several air holes.
6. Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes or until
heated throughout. Serve with a basic green salad and garlic bread, if desired.
