Stuffed Shells with Vodka Sauce
These stuffed shells with vodka sauce combine two classic pasta dishes into one. You'll love the combination of creamy, plant-based spinach ricotta and bold vodka sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 lb jumbo pasta shells
Vodka Sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 cup vodka
- 2 28-oz cans whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
Spinach Ricotta
- 1 14-oz block firm tofu
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 10-oz packages frozen chopped spinach
Instructions
For the vodka sauce:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Carefully add the vodka, standing back to avoid flames, and simmer for 5–7 minutes, until the mixture is reduced by half.
- Add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours.
- Pour the tomato mixture, cashews and water into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Be sure to vent the top with a towel to let the pressure out — the mixture will be very hot. Return the blended mixture to the dutch oven.
For the spinach ricotta:
- Press your tofu by wrapping it in multiple layers of paper towel or a clean kitchen towel and place something heavy on top for 15 minutes. This will ensure your ricotta isn't watery.
- Blitz all of the ricotta ingredients in a food processor except for the spinach. Add a dash of water if the ricotta is too thick to blend well. You still want a little bit of texture to the mixture.
- Squeeze out all the water from the frozen spinach and fold it into the ricotta.
To assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (if it isn't already there from the vodka sauce)
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the jumbo shells to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss the shells in a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Pour the vodka sauce into a large rectangular or circular baking dish.
- Fill each shell with a few tablespoons of the ricotta mixture, until they're generously stuffed. Nestle each shell into the vodka sauce until they're about halfway (but not fully) submerged.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until everything is warmed through and the sauce is bubbly.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Make-ahead: To make this ahead of time, complete all the steps except for baking. Cover the dish in foil and place in the fridge for up to three days or the freezer for up to three months until you're ready to bake. Level up: To take this dish over the top, feel free to add some vegan mozzarella on top of the shells before baking, and/or drizzle a little basil pesto on top after baking.