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
Oops, forgot the 5 star review!
Thank you so much Britton!
I replaced whole wheat baby shells for big ones and layered like baked macaroni…. sauce, shells, ricotta mixture, then more shells and sauce. Baked as you directed. Result? Awesomeness. The large whole wheat shells are really hard to find so the small shells layered was a great sub! Thank you for the recipe!!
That is so awesome Lynn! Thank you so much for making them and the wonderful review!
Another winner! Even though, similarly to another commenter, I made a huge mistake with the ricotta: the children were asking and telling me a million things as I was adding the ingredients and I used tablespoons of vinegar rather than teaspoons (i.e. I tripled it)! I googled a quick fix and added just a bit of baking soda to take the edge off, and the result was sharp but not completely overwhelming. And all mixed together and baked with with sauce, spinach, and pasta..mmm! I am Italian and have been eating the “real” versions of dishes like these my whole life, and I’m not sure I would have been able to tell the difference if I hadn’t made it myself. Next time I’ll go easier on the vinegar, but mostly, I’m just looking forward to the next time!
Thank you so much Thera! I’m so thrilled this was such a hit for you! And even with the vinegar messup haha! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving feedback!
Made this for dinner tonight and want to say thank you so much for a wonderful recipe that taste so much better than the dairy version I used to prepare years ago ! I really appreciate all of the recipe notes you include, the delicious looking photos, and your generous sharing …this one is a great “keeper” …5 stars!!!
Thank you so much Elaine for this awesome review! I’m so thrilled to hear you loved these! I love them more than the dairy version as well!
I seriously CANNOT believe that this LITERALLY tastes just like ricotta cheese. This is hands down my favorite vegan recipe.
This makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much! Right?? It totally can fool any dairy-loving friends 🙂
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. One of my most favorite recipes. I make it weekly, it’s become the family go to meal. So simple, easy on the budget and delicious! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
Courtney, you made my day, thank you so much!!
Just made this today for the first time. I am always confident in making a recipe from The Vegan 8 for guests and it will always be amazing and blow them away! I will definitely be making this again soon. Thank you Brandi for your amazing talent and sharing it with us. 💕
This makes me so happy to hear, thank you Mairead!!
I would love to make this recipe for a grandson, who is vegan.
Can this recipe be frozen.?
Marie
Hi Marie, I’ve never tried freezing it but since it’s all Whole Foods, I’m sure it would be fine. Just thaw it overnight in the fridge.
I’ll give that a try. Thanks so much.
These shells are fantastic! We had them for dinner this evening and my husband and mother-in-law absolutely loved them. This is coming from a husband who grew up hating stuffed shells because he didn’t like ricotta! I can’t wait to get your book!
I’m so thrilled you loved these so much Michelle, thank you so much for the feedback!
My rating didn’t go through with my comment. 5 stars!!!
Brandi, these are truly the best stuffed shells ever. Leftovers are just as delicious as fresh! I can’t tell you how many people I have raved about these to and shared the recipe with. Thank you!!
Yay!! So happy you love them so much Denise! They are just as good to me as the dairy ones I used to make, if not better, so I’m excited to hear everybody raved over them!
Thank you so much for sharing a wonderful recipe with us!
This is absolutely AMAZING!! I can’t believe how much it tastes like what I remember stuffed shells tasting like. I would love to find out how you’d make a lasagna since there are typically different cheeses…… 🙂
Yay, thrilled to hear that Kristina, thank you so much for making it!
This dish is incredible! My husband who is not vegan tried it and thought it was ricotta cheese (I didn’t tell him until after he tried it 😊). He couldn’t tell the difference. Brandi you have done it again, turned a classic dish in to a vegan remake that is just as good if not better!
Haha, I love it when it’s so good, nobody can tell the difference from dairy, yay! So glad it was a hit Debbie, thank you for the review!
I made this recipe in the form of lasagna rolls instead of stuffed shells. It was very satisfying and delicious. I did stray from the recipe a bit and added garlic powder and pepper to my ricotta mixture and used a jar of pasta sauce. I must admit that this was the first time I’ve had a delicious Italian dish without the negative effect of feeling like a slug afterwards from all the dairy. Thank you, Brandi! Also, since all of the recipes I’ve tried from your site so far have been a hit I wanted to let you know I just purchased your cookbook…. keep those delicious recipes coming!!!
Awww, that is so kind, Emma! So glad you loved this and also, thank you so much for buying my book! So glad to hear you’ve loved my recipes here on the blog so much that it made you confident to buy my book, that means so much!
This was OUTSTANDING!!!! That ricotta! We can’t get enough of the ricotta. I added some onion and mushroom to ours. And I couldn’t find big shells to stuff. So I made medium-size shells and just stirred everything together before I baked it. We had it for lunch today…and will have it again for dinner tonight!
I am unable to eat spinach due to kidney stones. What do you recommend as a substitute?
You can just leave it out! Will still be amazing. In fact, I don’t use spinach when I cook it for my hubby because he can’t eat it either.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANKYOU, Brandi!!!
Since we have been on same, Plant based, NO OIL diet for years, my hubby and I have both missed good ricotta cheese. We had tried some from tofu, but they were nasty.
I had Lasagna noodles at home, so decided to make that, instead of buying shells. It turned out sooo great!! My hubby was Over The Moon!!
I used same cheese recipe the next week, and made baked manicotti(blended sauce and cheese together, with pasta, more sauce on top, and baked in pan. Of course, I always top with your delicious Faux Parmesan Cheese Recipe. Fantastico!!
Thanks again for being so generous, and sharing your wonderful recipes. I bought your book a while back, and love it too.
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 ⭐️!!!