Dining In - Stuffed Shells in Arrabbiata Sauce

Stuffed Shells in Arrabbiata Sauce - Chloe's Kitchen

A traditional Italian dish with a vegan kick! Who would have thought you could still make stuffed shells when on a vegan diet? The key to this is not overstuffing the shells, you don't want an overpowering tofu taste and you'll have plenty of shells that need the ricotta mixture. This was fairly spicy with the red pepper flakes, so go light if you don't like a lot of spice. I enjoyed this dish for dinner and it was definitely filling. It got a thumbs up from my non-vegan boyfriend (my at-home recipe taste tester!). You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

1 pound jumbo shells (any will work, just check the label to make sure there are no eggs in them. I found mine at Stop & Shop)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 minced garlic cloves

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like spicy)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup plain almond milk

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Cook jumbo shells according to package and do not overcook, since you'll be cooking more with the ricotta and sauce. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Cook garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in the oil for just over a minute, until fragrant. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and let ingredients boil. Reduce heat, let simmer on low heat, uncovered for about 15 minutes. Once removed from heat, add in almond milk and brown sugar. Taste test the sauce, adjust adding more salt or pepper. 

The Ricotta Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 box of extra firm tofu (14 0z.)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon white miso paste (I didn't have this on hand, but I've researched that you can try substituting it for a dash of salt and tahini, which is what I used)

3 cups fresh basil leaves

Heat the olive oil over medium and cook the chopped onion until soft. Combine the cooked onions, garlic, tofu, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and miso paste or substitution in a food processor and blend mixture, but don't overblend so that's it's too creamy. You want to almost resemble the texture of real ricotta. Add the basil leaves and blend more until it's worked in and the mixture has a lighter green color. 

Put it all together! Stuff the shells with the ricotta recipe (don't overdo it, leave enough to fill all shells). Pour the sauce mixture into your pan to coat the bottom first. Then lay out the stuffed shells in the pan and add more sauce. Cover your pan with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes in the oven. Take off the foil and put back in the oven. Bake until lightly browned on top, this should take about 10-15 minutes. Top with more sauce.

Spicy Vegan Stuffed Shells