Learn how to make the best Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells with an unbelievable dairy-free almond ricotta and spinach mixture! Nobody will believe this is oil-free or vegan. It is the epitome of delicious comfort food!
VEGAN STUFFED RICOTTA SHELLS WITH SPINACH
We all needed a delicious dish to use up that fabulous Vegan Ricotta Cheese I just posted, right? Of course, I shared it on pizza, but my goal all along was for these Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells.
FAVORITE MEAL BEFORE GOING VEGAN
Without a doubt, one of my husband’s favorite dishes I used to make years ago before we went vegan, was stuffed ricotta shells. Now, of course those were dairy-filled and we haven’t had stuffed shells in almost 6 years now. It. Was. Time. Not only do these taste just like the dairy version but my husband absolutely loved them and said “this is fantastic!” He also suggested this was the perfect dish to impress guests with. Not only is it beautiful and colorful, but it is so good and filling. Hey, it’s pasta! I asked for any suggestions on changes and he said, “not a thing”. Then I had my daughter taste it, she gestured 2 thumbs up and said “super yummy!” so there you have it. Of course, when I had a taste, I was ecstatic at how delicious it was.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN STUFFED RICOTTA SHELLS?
First, make my Vegan Ricotta Cheese.
Next, make the pizza sauce (see directions).
Spread 1 cup of the sauce at the bottom of the baking dish.
Add the cooked spinach to the bowl of the ricotta cheese.
Mix the ricotta cheese with the cooked spinach, salt and Italian seasoning until it is well mixed like this.
Fill the pasta shells with about 2 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture.
Spread the remaining 2 cups of sauce in and around the pasta shells. Drizzle the centers across all of the shells. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
Garnish with fresh basil. Devour and come back and tell me that isn’t one of the yummiest dishes ever!
I’m telling you, this dish is so filling, delicious and healthy. Yet, it is totally vegan and oil-free!
Next time guests come over, prepare this dish. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser both visually and for making very happy tummies.
This dish is the very definition of comfort food. You know me and comfort food go hand in hand. Speaking of comfort food, have you tried this Vegan Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake?
MORE VEGAN PASTA RECIPES
- Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo
- Garlic Kale Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini, Spinach and Pasta
- 20 Minute Alfredo
- Pimento Cream Sauce
- Creamy Vegan White Wine Sauce
Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells
Ingredients
- 16 jumbo pasta shells
- 10 oz package fresh spinach (do not use frozen!)
- 3 cups (720g) of my homemade pizza sauce (you'll have to double the recipe, see NOTE)
- 1 batch of my homemade ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- fresh basil for garnish
NOTE
- I used my homemade pizza sauce for this because it really has so much more flavor than jarred marinara and only takes 5 mins to make, but use what you like, knowing that the dish will take on the flavor you choose. If using my pizza sauce, you'll need to double the recipe and will be left with 1 extra cup of sauce and just use that for a pizza or another pasta dish.
Instructions
- First, make the ricotta cheese. You will need a day in advance for this or to start soaking the almonds in the early morning to make this for dinner the day of.
- Add 5 quarts (20 cups) water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and the pasta shells. Give it a stir and cook until almost aldente, about 9 minutes. You want the shells just slightly undercooked since they will finish cooking in the oven and don't want them mushy or falling apart.
- Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water and set aside for a minute.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- While the pasta is boiling, add the spinach to a large pan over medium-low heat with 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring constantly until it is just wilted-you don't want to overcook it, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cooked spinach to a strainer and let it cool a couple of minutes. Pick the spinach up with your hands and squeeze to strain the excess water, trying hard to get as much out as you can.
- Add the ricotta cheese to a large bowl with the spinach, Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to mix very well.
- To the baking dish, add 1 cup of the pizza sauce and spread it out across the bottom. Stuff all the shells with about 2 heaping tablespoons of the ricotta mixture carefully and place into the dish, giving a bit of space in between each one.
- Spoon the remaining 2 cups of sauce in between and around the edges of the shells and a drizzle of it over the center of the shells (see photo). This allows the beauty of the shells to still be seen but still soak up some of that yummy sauce.
- Place a piece of foil over the dish and bake for 30 minutes until piping hot and bubbly. You won't technically see the bubbling, but you will hear it. Remove and let sit for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
This recipe looks incredible, I can’t wait to try it! However, I do have one question. I don’t have a food processor and I have guests coming over next week who may or may not enjoy the vegan ricotta the way that I would. Can I just simply substitute the vegan ricotta with regular ricotta and keep every other ingredient and measurement the same? Thanks in advance!
Hi Melis! I really don’t know, I’ve never made this with anything other than my ricotta, but I can assure you nobody will ever know it’s vegan, it is that authentic! You can read many of the reviews above saying this very thing. But, yes, if you don’t have a food processor, it won’t be able to be made, so you can certainly try it with regular ricotta!
I made the stuffed shells for my family one night when they were in town for Thanksgiving. The stuffed shells were easier to make than I anticipated, and they were a HUGE hit with my fam! I doubled the recipe to make sure my hungry husband and brother had enough to eat, and I used ALL the pizza sauce (more than the recipe called for) underneath the shells. There were still 3 shells left after my mom, my sister, my brother, my husband, myself (5 adults!) and my 2YO son had eaten until we were full. For my out-of-town brother, this was the first round of a long weekend gameshow of “I cannot believe this is vegan!” I think I added an extra teaspoon of vinegar to the “ricotta” when I tasted it in the food processor, that, and using ALL the pizza sauce I made instead of the amount in the recipe, were the only two recipe modifications.
PS – I routinely go to your cookbook when I’m in the mood for something spicy and Texan (we also live in Houston). I wish I had the patience to print out all the recipes in your blog! I have quite a collection of printed blog recipes stuffed into the binding of your cookbook. I even gifted your cookbook to my co-worker for Christmas!
Thank you so much for such a beautiful review Cristine! So happy these shells were such a huge hit with your family! And thank you so much for the love on my cookbook!
These stuffed shells were recommended as an entree to take to a vegan potluck. They travel well and present beautifully! The taste is fabulous – so much so the meat eaters raved about it. These will be made again and again and again!
Oops forgot to put 5 stars ⭐️!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! My daughter is dairy free and I haven’t made vegan cheese till i made these. The whole family enjoyed this recipe and will be making it often. I so have a question though. Can I make a double batch of the cheese and freeze it or freeze the completed recipe? How do i freeze this properly so it reheats well?
SO happy to hear it was such a hit Kayla! I’ve honestly never tried freezing the cheese, I always just make it fresh! I’m not sure how it would freeze. I know it would become very hard of course, so if you try it, just make sure to let it thaw completely in the fridge and then it might need another run in the food processor to bring it back to its original texture. That is what I would try!
Brandi, you never cease to amaze me. I made a double batch of these for my family of 7 for Valentine’s day and it was such a hit! The kids all raved and requested them for future birthday dinners. They proclaimed them five stars. Then my omni husband got home from work and ate like, 8 of them and said they were amazing. I actually used jar sauce bc of time but would love to try your sauce next time. I bet it would really take this recipe to the next level. Thanks for creating such amazing recipes!
I always come back to this recipe. It is unreal. The ricotta really tastes like ricotta. I personally think the ratio of just 16 shells is not for me and only uses about half the box. I like a higher pasta to ricotta ratio – plus I just need more pasta to fill me up! I find the recipe stretches farther to more meals if you aim to use up most of the box. Therefore I boil a whole box and just add a little of the ricotta stuffing into each. So the ricotta is just an accent rather than getting a huge mouthful of it! I also throw on the extra sauce because I like things saucy! Made this way, my husband and I have enough to eat throughout the week and it’s still delicious!
Brandi, I’m going to make this for hub’s birthday and use whole grain lasagna noodles for roll-ups. Have you ever tried that? I’m guessing I would cook it the same amount of tine and covered like the shells? We love your recipes!
Hi Linda! I haven’t, but yes, I imagine it would work just as well as long as the sauce covers it so it doesn’t dry out!
Great. Even my non-vegan mom loved it.
Wonderful!
Amazing! Will definitely make it again and again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Best thing I’ve ever made. You absolutely must make these. Jaw dropping good
Aww yay! Wow, that’s awesome to hear!
This is so delicious! I still can’t get over it. The leftovers actually tasted even better! It’s like all the flavors got together & had a party in the fridge. Lol! So incredibly good! It was well worth the effort (the silly shells kept slipping out of my hands!) & I will definitely make this again!
Made this tonight and my Italian husband and I LOVED it!!! It was perfect!!! I only had cashew vegan yogurt so I added a tiny bit more salt and some more vinegar. Thanks so much—we really appreciate it!!!
Yay, that is so awesome to hear!!
This recipe is a huge favorite. The stuffed shells are always a big hit. One question – Can these be frozen? My daughter is due with her second child in about six weeks and I’d love to make a batch ahead to be reheated and enjoyed whenever.
Marsha I’m so sorry I missed this! I’ve never tried freezing them, but I believe it should turn out ok!
My family was completely blown away by this dish! The ricotta is to die for. A new family favorite for sure.
This is everything! It’s easy. It’s filling. It’s pretty. And it is the most delicious dish ever!
Make it ! You will be very happy
Thanks so much Tracy!
Loved this recipe so much we used it for our wedding. It was a hit with non-vegans, they didn’t know it was vegan and really enjoyed it. Which was a huge relief trying to make everyone happy while not having animals on the menu, which was important to me. Thank you!!
Woohoo! Love hearing that!
How big are those pasta shells when dry and when cooked?
Even my hardcore carnivore dad seemed to luv this! It was even more delicious the day after so next time, I’ll try to resist eating til 1 to 2 days after baking. The ricotta cheese would’ve been superb in vegan lasagna…. Definitely one of my fave recipes now.
I just made this tonight. That ricotta reminds me of my husband’s Italian grandma’s recipe. (I did add chopped fresh parsley to the ricotta to mimic hers). Hands down one of the best things I have made from your site. Oh, I also added some chopped artichokes in with the ricotta mixture because I had some to use up. Yum!
Wow, that is wonderful it was such a hit, thank you Abby!