These Vegan Stuffed Jumbo Shells are filled with the most amazing spinach ricotta, covered with marinara sauce and baked to perfection! Comfort food that is perfect for feeding a crowd.
When I need a kid friendly meal that everyone will love, I turn to Vegan Lasagna, Vegan Mac and Cheese, Baked Ziti or these amazing stuffed shells.
I’ve served these shells countless times to various groups, and no one ever guesses they’re completely vegan! The ricotta filling rivals any dairy filled cheese, and will keep you coming back for more.
For added richness, add a few cups of non-dairy mozzarella shreds to the top while it bakes. But it’s really not necessary.
Tips for success
- Don’t overcook the pasta. We don’t want mushy shells, and they will continue to cook a little in the oven. Rinse the cooked shells in cold water as soon as they are done.
- Try using a piping bag to stuff the shells. It makes filling the shells a breeze! You can also use a small spoon.
- Frozen or fresh spinach – I use whatever I have on hand, and either is perfectly fine.
- Make ahead – You can assemble the shells in the casserole dish ahead of time, such as in preparation of a holiday meal. 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.
I hope you LOVE these Vegan Stuffed Shells. They are:
- Crowd-pleasing comfort food
- Kid-approved
- Savory & rich tasting
- Pasta perfection!
- Filling & oh-so-satisfying
Want more vegan pasta recipes to serve a crowd?
- Vegan Baked Ziti
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Vegan Carbonara
- Vegan Alfredo
Vegan Stuffed Jumbo Shells with Spinach
These Vegan Stuffed Jumbo Shells are filled with the most amazing spinach ricotta, covered with marinara sauce and baked to perfection! Comfort food that is perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- (1) 12-ounce package jumbo shells
- (1) 26-ounce jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
Spinach Ricotta:
- 2 cups raw cashews
- (1) 14-ounce firm tofu drained from package
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- (1) 10-ounce package 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!
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
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 954mg | Potassium: 815mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4563IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 5mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
This was DELICIOUS!!! Easy and so good!!! Thank you- for yet again another amazing recipe! Thank you!!!!
Hi Cindy. I’m happy you loved the stuffed shells! Thanks for your wonderful feedback and review! I appreciate you using my recipes!
Can I use a blender to make the ricotta? I don’t have a food processor.
Yes, I think that would work pretty well. You may need to add a little extra water to get it to blend enough, as the mixture is quite thick. The “pulse” option on a blender would work quite well, especially for incorporating the spinach. Happy cooking!
This recipe, like all Nora’s recipes, is SO GOOD. I halved the nutritional yeast just for personal preference, and went light on the lemon juice and dried herbs. Other than that, I made it exactly as is, and it was fabulous. 5 stars, thank you Nora!!
Hi Natalie. You are welcome! I’m so glad you loved the stuffed shells. They are a favorite in our family for sure! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
So good i ate it for breakfast the next day. I’ve made this twice in the past month and a few notes I found-
1) i can’t eat onions or garlic but it’s delicious without any of them!
2) i found i had to adjust the ratio for the cheese- a lot more lemon juice, a little more water, a lot more salt, and a little more nutritional yeast, but tweaking it was super easy! it could be that i needed to compensate for the lack of umami from the absence of garlic
3) you can also julienne and sauté zucchini and replace the spinach with it if you are out of spinach from the last time you made it like i was!
4) also works with manicotti!
five stars!
Thank you so much for your feedback and review! I’m so glad you loved this recipe 🙂
Quick question: when you say you wouldn’t let them sit longer than 8-10 hours before baking….does that mean in the fridge? I wanted to make today for a party on Saturday. Would it be good for that long?
Hi Jamie. Yes, it does mean in the fridge. Assemble, cover, and refrigerate. I recommend preparing them closer to the day you want to bake them. Overall, it is best to 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. I hope this helps! Happy cooking!
Excellent !!!!! So easy to make. thank you for your awesome recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed the stuffed shells! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
This was a hit with my family! Even a 13 and 11 year old. And they didn’t know it was plant-based… The only thing I did differently was follow the box for pasta cook time and stuffed shell baking time. I also used fresh spinach in ricotta and could only fit half the bag in the food processor. Turned out delicious!
Thanks for your great review and feedback! I’m glad the stuffed shells were a hit with your family!
I want to make this recipe for a new mom and drop it off before baking. I want to add the violife mozzarella on top. Would the cooking instructions still be the same? 25 minutes uncovered?
Yes, the instructions will stay the same. Happy cooking!
Truly amazing!! Tried this for my family who are hard core meat eaters and not healthy eating and they were skeptical at first but ended up loving it!
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you and your family loved the jumbo shells!
Such a good recipe and my friends who are not vegan loved it! It’s quick and easy, but so tasty! I’m so happy I came across this website because I use it all the time now!
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Absolutely phenomenal! Made these last night without the spinach and with homemade vegan vodka sauce. Best stuffed shells I ever had!
Hi Bryanna. Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
I’ve made this 3 times (and will again this week). Fantastic recipe.
I’m so glad you are loving the stuffed shells! Thank you for sharing your fabulous review!
This is my ‘Go to’ recipe for entertaining new friends who may be a bit ‘iffy’ about trying vegan meals. It NEVER disappoints. As with all baked dishes and soups it’s fun to change things up a bit each time with different spices and fresh veggies within and on the side. ‘Noracooks’ is the best!!!
Bob in Friday Harbor, WA.
I’m so glad you love the stuffed shells, Bob! Thanks for using my recipe, and for sharing your review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Made this last night and it was amazing! Used the same ricotta filling but added ground meat for the BF – he loved the filling! Said to definitely make it again. I am going to try this ricotta with a lasagna too.
Thank you!! 🙂
That’s great to hear, Pamela! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Every recipe I try from this blog turns out great! Thank you. These stuffed shells are so easy and tasty.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and feedback! I’m glad you are loving my recipes! Happy cooking!
I just happen to come across this recipe and it is seriously the best ricotta stuffing recipe ever. This is definitely company worthy. Thank you for sharing!! I am excited to look at what other recipes you have.
Hi Rhonda. Welcome to my site! I’m so glad that you loved the stuffed shells! I’m thrilled you have discovered my recipes, and hope that you enjoy your journey through them! Please let me know if you have any questions about any of them! Wishing you happy cooking!
I want to use the fresh spinach, do I add it at the same time I would have added the frozen one. There’s no mention of how to use the fresh spinach. I assume I need to chop it and then pulse into the ricotta mix. Is that correct?
I’ve actually just thrown baby spinach in the food processor until it’s chopped up. You could chop it first to make it blend easier though.
I am so excited to find this recipe. It has been by far the best ricotta I have ever tried. Definitely going to use it in lasagna this weekend. A bit hit with the family. Thank you so much for the recipe.
You are welcome! I appreciate to taking time to share your fantastic review and comments! Happy cooking!
Hey there! Made these again for a party that I am attending for the holidays and they came out great! I made a Lentil Bolognese to go in the bottom that I use for my vegan lasagna as well. Adds a whole new layer of texture! love that you included the pastry bag tip in there! It really is a game changer! Hope you have a happy holiday!
Can I make ahead and freeze this to bake another day?
Yes, you can. The pasta will be a bit mushy after you bake it though.
Hey Nora! Quick question, should we soak the cashews before hand?
Hey there! No need to soak the cashews!
Wonderful recipe – made into lasagna because didn’t have any shells. Now one of my favorites. Thanks!!
Hi Betsy! I’m glad you love the recipe! I bet it’s great as a lasagna! Thank you for taking time to share your great review and comments!
Absolute best vegan ricotta recipe I have tried! Thank you so much for this perfect recipe!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments!
This was delicious!! Could not find jumbo shells anywhere so I used manicotti instead. Thank you for such an amazing ricotta substitute!
You are welcome! I’m glad you love the recipe! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
This recipe is inhaled over and over again by my whole family. THANK YOU!
I LOVE your funny and beautiful visual! LOL! Thank you for sharing your fun and wonderful review! I’m glad you guys love the stuffed shells! Happy cooking1
I absolutely love this recipe! I like to add 2 tsp of fennel for a little extra pop. I can’t thank you enough for the tip about using the piping bag! It makes everything soooo quick and clean (and really makes me look like I know what I’m doing!)
Hi Quinn. Of course you know what you’re doing!! Glad you found the tip helpful, and the stuffed shells delicious! Thanks so much fo taking your time to share your wonderful review and comments!
I’m not very skilled when it comes to cooking, and a lot of dishes I make are a big hit or a miss. I’m usually trying 2 new things every week.. and this was by FAR the best yet!!! Hubby LOVES this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing.. adding it to the rotation for sure. & I’ll be making lasagna soon with this recipe. 🙂