These dairy-free cashew ricotta stuffed shells are so good that you can easily convince anyone that they’re the real deal (especially if you’re serving any “can’t live without cheese” types).
Growing up, stuffed shells were a dinner-time favorite. The pillowy ricotta stuffed into each shell paired with the sweet acidic tomato sauce were little bites of heaven.
This grownup version is a healthier twist on a classic. The filling is made with homemade almond ‘ricotta’, fresh spinach, spices, and pasta sauce while still embodying that same comforting richness.
Ingredients
- jumbo pasta shells – ideal for this recipe but see the substitutions section below for other options
- fresh spinach – add color and extra nutrients
- almond or cashew ricotta – this ricotta cheese alternative is the hero of the dish
- salt, pepper & dried spices – using additional Italian spices gives the dish that well-rounded flavor.
- pasta sauce – the sweet acidic nature of tomato sauce cuts through the richness of the ricotta for a great, balanced flavor.
- fresh basil (garnish) – helps tie all the flavors together
How to Make Ricotta Stuffed Shells
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Cook the pasta according to your package directions until it’s al dente (it will continue to cook in the oven).
3. Make the filling by adding all the ricotta ingredients to a high-powered blender, adjusting the salt and acid as needed, and cooking the spinach with 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat until reduced in size and wilted.
4. Mix the ricotta cheese with the cooked spinach and spices.
5. Add 2 cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Stuff about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mixture into each shell (this will depend on the size of your shells) and nestle it into the tomato sauce until you’ve used up all your ricotta and shells.
6. Drizzle the remaining tomato sauce over the shells, cover the pan with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Carefully remove the foil, top with fresh basil, and serve immediately.
Make It Your Way: Ingredient Substitutions
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make these ricotta stuffed shells using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Gluten-free? ➝ You can sub gluten-free jumbo shells. If you can’t find jumbo shells, you can alternatively use gluten-free lasagna sheets rolled up. (I’ve done the lasagna rollup method and found it equally delicious.)
- No spinach? ➝ Use another type of leafy green: baby kale, lacinato kale (also called Dino kale), watercress, or arugula.
- No ricotta-making ingredients? ➝ store-bought will work (Kitehill brand is a good dairy-free brand). Keep in mind that it’ll be a little pricey for the amount you’ll need for the stuffed shells.
- Sub for ricotta? ➝ You can also use cashew cream.
- Don’t have all the dried spices? ➝ You can really use any Italian spices in place of the dried spices in the recipe. If you want to use an Italian spice blend that will work great or use other dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, or rosemary individually.
How to Store & Freeze Stuffed Shells
Store any leftover cooked stuffed shells in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing Instructions
I recommend freezing the shells without the sauce.
To do this, prepare the stuffed shells, but skip adding the sauce to the pan. Put the stuffed shells onto a baking tray and arrange them in a single layer to freeze for 1-2 hours (this helps them from sticking together later on). Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container.
When ready to cook, add the tomato sauce to a pan with the stuffed shells nestled in and bake according to the recipe adding an additional 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Helpful Recipe Tips
Have Shells Stuck Together?
If the dry shells are stuck together, avoid trying to pull them apart until they’ve cooked. It’s easier to do this once they’re soft (otherwise, they’ll just break).
More Than You Think
Cook more shells than you think you’ll need, in case any fall apart while cooking.
Fresh or Frozen
If using spinach as your leafy green, you can use frozen or fresh. If using frozen spinach, just make sure it’s thawed and you’ve wrung most of the excess water out.
More Healthy Dairy-Free Italian Recipes
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Boats
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Lemon Zucchini Risotto
- Healthy Balsamic Sautéed Mushrooms
- Basil Pesto
‘Ricotta’ Stuffed Shells (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Option)
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo shells cook a few extra
- 25.5 oz jar pasta sauce about 3 cups
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- 1 tsp each garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley
- pinch salt
- fresh basil or parsley to garnish (optional)
Almond 'Ricotta'
- 2 cups slivered almonds
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cook the pasta according to your package directions until it's al dente (it will continue to cook in the oven).
- Make the filling by adding all the ricotta ingredients to a high-powered blender, adjusting the salt and acid as needed, and cooking the spinach with 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat until reduced in size and wilted.
- Mix the ricotta cheese with the cooked spinach and spices.
- Add 2 cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Stuff about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mixture into each shell (the amount will depend on the size of your shells) and nestle into the tomato sauce until you've used up all the ricotta and the shells.
- Drizzle the remaining cup of tomato sauce over the shells, cover the pan with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, carefully remove the foil, and top with fresh basil or parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If the dry shells are stuck together, avoid trying to pull them apart until they’ve cooked. It’s easier to do this once they’re soft (otherwise, they’ll just break).
- Cook more shells than you think you’ll need, in case any fall apart while cooking.
- If using spinach as your leafy green, you can use frozen or fresh. If using frozen spinach, just make sure that it’s thawed and you’ve wrung most of the excess water out.
- This almond ricotta recipe makes about 2 cups.
- I used organic jumbo shells and for the amount of ricotta, mine made about 24 shells. (Yours could make less depending on the size of the shells.)
The directions say to set spinach aside but then never mention adding it to the ricotta mixture.. obvious that that’s what you do but just something I noticed.
Thanks for pointing that out, Sarah! I’m fixing it now.