Vegan Stuffed Shells #SundaySupper

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Andrea

It’s been way too long since I’ve been able to or had the head to join the Sunday Supper Movement. This week’s theme is Cheesy Dinner Ideas brought to us by Em. In this new(ish) wave of healthier eating, there are more and more vegans and vegetarians following our blogs. While this doesn’t follow the strict definition of cheesy, these stuffed shells are close enough – and delicious enough – for my vegan.

Learning to adjust one’s culinary brain when one of your children announces they’re a vegan – or even a vegetarian – is not easy. So now there was a vegan AND a vegetarian AND a dyed in the wool carnivore. How is a girl to cope?

I’ve learned to start with a base – in this case the marinara sauce and the cooked shells – and then split into two meals. In this case, only the stuffing for the shells. Side by side, the Dear One was hard pressed to know which was which. Taste? Not too bad. I think the seller for me with this recipe was the tofu being ground up. I am not a big tofu fan, but bring ground up and mixed with the rest of the yummy ingredients was a game changer.

There had been a love hate relationship – mostly hate – with Nutritional Yeast. I have to admit that this hate formed without ever tasting it. It turns out it’s full of B vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc and protein. Hmmmm …. well, it’s good for you. But the name is so unappealing. I tried it sprinkled on popcorn and I was hooked. I sprinkle it on eggs, have used it in a vegan form of pesto, popcorn … if you haven’t tried, do.

Scroll to the bottom of my post and stop by the other blogs in this week’s Sunday Supper Movement!

1 t vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves , minced
8 oz. baby spinach
1 t salt
1 vegan egg
2 t Nutritional Yeast
12 oz. Onederful® Tofu, drained
cooking spray
12 Jumbo Pasta Shells, cooked
16 oz. Marinara Sauce
Canola oil (as needed)

NOTE: There was no opposition to an egg, so I used a fresh egg. I have used Follow Your Heart vegan eggs with no trouble.

Pre-Heat over to 400

Heat a sauce pan over a medium flame and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and half the salt. Cook until the spinach is wilted.

Place the sautéed spinach mixture in a strainer so the extra liquid can drip out. Set aside,

Add the tofu to a food processor and pulse several time to break the tofu down to small crumbles.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the crumbled tofu, drained spinach, egg, nutritional yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Lightly spray a baking dish with the cooking spray. Pour half the marinara sauce on the bottom.

Fill the shells with the stuffing mixture. Add shells to the baking dish.

Pour the rest of the marinara sauce over the shells.

Bake uncovered for 8 -10 minutes, uncovered.

Serve immediately.

Cheesy Dinner Ideas

Cheesy Appetizers and Sides

Cheddar Sourdough Biscuits by What Smells So Good?
Guinness and Caramelized Onion Cheese Ball by Palatable Pastime
Irish Nachos with Beer Cheese Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Pretzel Bread Ring with Cheese Dip by Recipes Food and Cooking

Cheesy Main Courses

Bacon Macaroni and Cheese by Sunday Supper Movement
Cheddar Cheese Souffle by Pies and Plots
Cheesy Cheeseburgers by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
Cheesy Spaghetti Stuffed Meatloaf by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Easy Cheesy Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes by My Fearless Kitchen
Easy Chicken Parmesan Skillet by Jersey Girl Cooks
Lemon Risotto with Asparagus and Zucchini by Caroline’s Cooking
Saucy Beef and Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells by Hot Eats and Cool Reads
Vegan Stuffed Shells by From the Bookshelf

The Sunday Supper Movement is committed to bringing our readers delicious recipes that encourage them to gather and eat together around the family table. Search for your favorite ingredients on our Sunday Supper website. Also check out the Sunday Supper Pinterest boards for plenty more ideas and inspiration.