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Vegan Stuffed Shells (Gluten-Free Option)

5 from 3 votes
Vegan ricotta stuffed shells with pasta sauce.
These vegan stuffed shells are a classic Italian comfort food. They taste nearly identical to the real thing so much so that no one will even know they're completely dairy-free.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Serving Size 6

Ingredients
 

Pasta

  • 24 jumbo shells cook a few extra

Filling

  • 2 cups slivered almonds
  • ¾ - 1 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 oz fresh or frozen spinach see notes

Sauce

  • 25.5 oz jar pasta sauce about 3 cups

Serving

  • fresh basil or parsley to garnish optional
  • vegan parmesan optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF and cook the pasta according to the package directions until it's al dente (it will continue to cook in the oven).
  • Add the slivered almonds, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend/pulse the mixture, scraping down the sides as needed. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time until you've reached your desired consistency. Add more salt as needed, to taste.
  • Transfer the almond ricotta to a bowl and add the garlic powder, dried basil, and dried parsley.
  • Cook the spinach in a little olive oil over medium heat until wilted and reduced in size. Add it to the bowl with the almond ricotta and seasonings, and mix together until well combined.
  • Add 1 1/2 cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mixture into each shell and nestle it into the tomato sauce until you've used up all your ricotta and shells.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the shells, cover the pan with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the foil, top with fresh basil, and serve immediately.

Notes

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.)
Have dry shells that 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.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions

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.
No spinach? - Use baby kale or lacinato/dino kale. Otherwise, omit.
No almonds? - you can also make cashew ricotta or use Kitehill storebought dairy-free ricotta (which will be a little pricey for the amount you'll need for the stuffed shells).
Sub for ricotta? - You can also use cashew cream.