These really are the BEST Vegan Stuffed Shells! They’re filled with the most amazing vegan spinach ricotta, covered with marinara sauce, and baked to perfection. It’s cheesy comfort food for the whole family!
If you need more kid-friendly meals that everyone will love, check out my Vegan Lasagna, this Vegan Mac and Cheese, and my favorite Baked Ziti.
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“These stuffed shells are soOoOOoOooOoOoOOooo good. My husband has never had stuffed shells and was insisting he wouldn’t like them–wrong! The texture and flavor of the filling are just perfect. Even our picky toddler was a fan!” – Meghan
Finding a dinner that makes kids, teens, and picky adults happy usually feels like a chore. But these Vegan Stuffed Shells are my secret weapon.
I’ve served these stuffed shells countless times, and no one ever guesses that they’re completely vegan. The secret? A tofu and cashew spinach ricotta filling that rivals any dairy-filled cheese.
Between the “cheese”-stuffed jumbo shells and the bubbling marinara, this is the meal that usually leaves us with zero leftovers. It’s just good, old-fashioned comfort food everyone loves!
Why you’ll love these vegan stuffed jumbo shells
- Kid-approved – When I want to serve a meal both the kids and adults will love, I make vegan stuffed pasta shells. Even picky teenagers love them.
- Pasta perfection! The jumbo shells are stuffed with cashew and tofu ricotta, covered in marinara sauce, and baked until hot and gooey. It’s the perfect pasta dinner!
- Surprisingly easy – The hardest part about this recipe is stuffing the pasta shells, but honestly, a piping bag makes that step so quick and easy.
How to make vegan stuffed shells
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Start by boiling the pasta shells until they’re al dente. Drain and rinse them with cold water. You likely won’t use all of the shells in the package, so it’s okay if some break!
Next, make the vegan spinach ricotta by processing the cashews in a food processor until crumbly. Pulse in the rest of the ingredients (except the spinach) until smooth and creamy.
Add the spinach to the food processor and pulse to combine.
To start assembling, spread some of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Stuff each shell with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach ricotta and place them open side up in the dish. Repeat until you run out of ricotta.
Recipe Tip
I love filling a piping bag fitted with a large tip with the ricotta cheese, then piping the filling into the shells. It’s the easiest way to do it!
Spoon the remaining marinara over the shells. For added richness, sprinkle a few cups of non-dairy mozzarella shreds on top as well.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve while they’re hot and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
There’s truly nothing better than my Kale Caesar Salad and fresh-baked Vegan Garlic Bread on the side of cheesy stuffed shells. It’s a simple and classic Italian-inspired meal the whole family will adore.
Yes, you can fully assemble the stuffed shells and refrigerate them in the covered casserole dish for up to 10 hours before baking. I also recommend adding a few extra minutes to the bake time since they’ll be cold.
Sure! I’ve tried this with both fresh and frozen spinach, and they both work well. Just thaw it ahead of time and squeeze out as much water as possible before blending it into the cheese.
You don’t have to. My almond-based Vegan Ricotta Cheese works just as well here. Or try Tofu Ricotta Cheese (recipe coming soon!).
For a nut-free version, use an equal amount of sunflower seeds in place of the cashews or swap the cashews for two blocks of tofu instead of one. You may not need to add as much water, so start slowly.
The jumbo shells will be mushy if they’re cooked beyond al dente (soft with a slightly firm bite) in the boiling water or if you don’t rinse them under cool water afterward. They continue to cook in the oven, so do your best to avoid overcooking them at the start!
Vegan Stuffed Jumbo Shells with Spinach
Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo shells
- 26 ounces marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
Spinach Ricotta:
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 14 ounces firm tofu drained from package
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 10 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed or 2-3 cups fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Boil the Shells: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the jumbo shells. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until done. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Some will likely break, but you will only need about 3/4 of the package so that is okay.
- Make the Spinach Ricotta: Add the cashews to a food processor, and process until fine and crumbly. Now add the rest of the ricotta ingredients EXCEPT the spinach. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides as needed. Now add the spinach, squeezing out excess water before adding. Pulse to combine.
- In a large casserole dish, evenly spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom.
- Stuff the Shells: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the spinach ricotta into each shell and place open side up into the baking dish. Repeat until all the filling is used up. I love using a piping bag and large tip for this, it makes filling a breeze!
- Spoon remaining marinara sauce on top of the stuffed shells, and place in the oven. Cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Leftover stuffed shells will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Simply reheat in the microwave or oven until warm. They can also be frozen.
- Tofu alternative – If you cannot have tofu, you could stuff the shells with my almond based vegan ricotta cheese instead.
- Nut free option – For nut free, use two blocks of tofu instead of one and omit the cashews. You may not need to add as much water, so start slowly. Or substitute sunflower seeds for the cashews.
- If desired, cover the shells with a bag of non-dairy cheese shreds before baking, such as Daiya or Violife’s mozzarella shreds.
Nutrition
Absolutely love this recipe! I try to have a couple vegan recipes a week and I really wanted stuffed shells so I thought I’d try it since I’m also lactose intolerant. If I didn’t know this dish was vegan, I would never guess. It is so good and this is going to be in my rotation of staple dishes. Definitely recommend! Only thing is I would cut back on the amount of lemon juice cause it was a little too much 🙂
Hi Shannon! I’m so thrilled this is going on your meal rotation! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
Nora, you’ve never let me down! Absolutely love this recipe, just like all your other ones. I make your blueberry scones (and put your vanilla frosting on there too!) every week. You’re the best!
I am thrilled that you are loving my recipes! Thank you for using them! I appreciate you taking your time to share your wonderful review!
My partner and I loved these! The cashew ricotta is sinfully indulgent. I would say though, that we thought it got better as left-overs. As there are only two of us, it lasted for three dinners. Each better than the last! Really enjoying your recipes. We absolutely adore (his non-vegan family also) your cheese sauce. It is a weekly staple in our house!
We thought so too! It’s so yummyandthe ricotta is delicious! Thank you Nora, we love your recipes
I took these to a party with non-vegans and didn’t tell anyone it was Vegan and people were taking seconds and finished it off. After it was all gone I told people it had tofu in it ?. Great recipe!!!!
Thanks for sharing your great review! I’m glad the shells were a hit!
Have you ever made something that tastes so good you start feeling like a whole chef even though you didn’t even create the recipe? ? thats how i am feeling after using this recipe! As a kid i loved making stuffed shells with my mom, it was one of my favorites. Now, as a new vegan, i was so excited to try this recipe and it did not disappoint- if anything my expectations were surpassed! It is not hard at all trust me i did not start cooking (on my own) until the diet change and making this was a breeze.
Thank you for sharing your fun and wonderful review, chef Emma! I am so glad you love the stuffed shells! Happy cooking!
My FAV recipe of all time. I rave about it to everyone. Do you think you could freeze it and then bake?
I’m so glad you love it, it’s one of my all time favorites as well! I’ve never tried freezing it before baking, but it might work. I have frozen leftovers and that worked quite well. Thank you!
Another great recipe. No changes needed. SUPERB!
Thank you Katie! I appreciate you sharing your review!
These were enjoyed by all–adults and children, vegan and non-vegan eaters. Thank you!
I’m glad everyone enjoyed the jumbo shells! Thank you, Amy, for sh bring your review!
This recipe can fool even the toughest of critics. My children couldn’t tell the difference. I also served it to all my non-vegan family members when they visited and received rave reviews. Great job at an amazing recipe.
Thank you, Julie, for taking time to share your review! I’m glad the shells were a hit!
Is there any other pasta I could use? I can’t find the big shells anywhere.
You could use lasagna noodles and roll them up, or maybe stuff manicotti shells with it.
I have used manicotti shells. It works!!
Do you soak the cashews before putting in the food processor?
No, you don’t need to here.
I’m about to make it. I don’t doubt it will be delicious! My vegan stepdaughter loves it when I use your recipes! And thanks for telling me not to soak the cashews-saves me time!
Thank you for sharing, Jacwuie! Happy cooking!
This in just done in the oven and I will leave a review soon. But I have to comment- I took a look at the metric conversions ( American living in Australia) just to see.. and boy did I laugh! Has anyone else looked!? SO (not) helpful. Ha ha! I am eager to try this- the ricotta tasted fantastic ‘raw’- can hardly wait to see how it tastes cooked!
That was fantastic! Everything about it works… so yummy! Thank you Nora!!
Thank you for sharing your great review, Sharon! I’m so glad the shells worked out fantastic for you!
This looks/sounds amazing! I was wondering if you think it would hold up ok if I assembled everything earlier in the day and kept it in the fridge until ready to bake? Thanks so much!
Hi Lyla. Yes, you can make ahead – Assemble the shells in the casserole dish ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. I would not let them sit longer than 8-10 hours before baking. Give them a few extra minutes to cook since they will be cold going in. Happy cooking!
We loved this recipe! It was added to our bi-weekly menu.
Hi Jeff! I’m thrilled you guys love the stuffed shells and they are on your menu rotation! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This was delicious! I made it as written. I made the filling in my Vitamix and it turned the filling green from the spinach but that didn’t bother us. We loved it! Thank you!
I love them every time!
Thanks Tracy!
These stuffed shells are so decedent.
Such a treat. Thanks Nora ?
Thank you, Jules! I’m glad you enjoyed the shells!
These shells were incredible!! I made a home-made oil-free marinara instead of using jarred sauce, and the filling was amazingly delicious. The filling is so good on its own – I can imagine eating it on a slice of Ezekiel bread! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe…. both my husband and daughter also raved about it!
Hi Christine. I’m glad you and your family love the stuffed shells recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Hi – i made these vegan stuffed shells for Sunday dinner and they were gobbled up and loved by everyone. Two meat eating men thought they had chicken and cheese in them and they were very delicious and filling.
I will definitely make them again.
thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Loretta. I’m so glad your family enjoyed the stuffed shells! I appreciate you sharing your comments! Thank you!
This is probably the best vegan dish I have ever made! Thank you!! Saving us as new parents since we can eat it for days!
Hi! I’m glad you love the shells! Congrats on being new parents! Thank you very much for sharing!
This recipe is so delicious ? I made this for my parents who are trying to ditch animal fats and they loved it. I’d like to try it with all tofu and no cashews to see if the taste is compromised and to make the recipe less fattening. I cooked my noodles for about 9 minutes, they weren’t cooked all the way through, but once they were done baking everything was perfect. Everyone should try this recipe. Comfort meal at its finest. ❤️
Hi Olivia. I’m glad the recipe worked out for you! Thank you for sharing!
This recipe lives up to the hype. I will be trying out all of your other recipes just because of this one.
Hi Rephael. I’m so glad you enjoyed the stuffed shells recipe! Thank you for using my recipes! Let me know how they work out for you!
This is the first time I’ve ever written a comment. We’re new to Vegan recipes and I had no idea how this would turn out. It was really yummy! I substituted kale (blanched first) for the spinach because that’s what I had on hand. The whole thing with the raw cashews and the tofu — Who new it would be so good!!! Thanks.
Hi Susan. Thank you so much for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
How can I make these soy free? I really try to avoid tofu but this looks delish!
You could make them with my almond vegan ricotta instead (or even sub cashews for the almonds). No tofu then! Hope that helps!
Incredible recipe. Thank you so much. Everybody loves this. I always bake covered and take tin foil off for last 5 mins. Is this correct or should I bake uncovered for the whole 25 mins?
Thanks! I actually don’t cover them at all, but it’s fine to cover them for a bit if you want.