Vegan stuffed shells are the ultimate comfort food! What makes this recipe so special is the super rich and creamy vegan spinach artichoke dip filling! This meal is family-friendly, easy to make, and it’s ready in one hour!
These vegan stuffed shells are everything you ever wanted in a comfort food + more! When I first went vegan, spinach artichoke dip was one of the first recipes that I veganized. It’s super creamy, cheesy, tangy, garlicky, and LOADED with spinach. It also makes the best filling for these vegan stuffed jumbo shells and vegan lasagna! Who needs vegan ricotta when you have spinach dip!?
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells
First, you’re going to soak or boil the cashews. Next, you’re going to make the cashew cream sauce by blending the cashews with unsweetened coconut milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and dried seasonings until it’s smooth and creamy.
While you’re making the cashew cream sauce in a blender, you can start sauteeing the onions, artichokes, and garlic in a large pan. Stir in the cashew cream sauce and frozen spinach. Mix it well to combine and let it cook until hot and bubbly.
While you’re making the spinach artichoke dip filling, boil the eggless pasta shells in salted water in a separate pot. Cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package instructions so they’ll be easier to fill without tearing.
Drain the pasta shells and rinse them with cool water to stop the cooking process. Lay the shells out on a parchment paper-lined sheet so they won’t stick to each other.
In a large casserole dish, pour one cup of your favorite tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread it around evenly. Wait until the shells have cooled and then fill each shell spinach artichoke dip.
Arrange the stuffed jumbo shells on top of the sauce and then top with the rest of the tomato sauce (and vegan shredded cheese if you like) and then bake it at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
If you want to watch a hilarious video of someone on YouTube making my vegan stuffed shells recipe (spoiler alert, they loved the recipe!), watch this video.
What Sides Go With It?
If I’m in a hurry, I often just make a big salad to serve with the vegan stuffed shells. However, if you have a little bit of extra time to whip up a tasty side dish, here are a few delicious options to try:
- Cherry Tomato Avocado Arugula Salad
- Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts
- Lemon Garlic Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Vegan Pesto Veggie Bake
- Lemon Tahini Courgette Salad
How Long Can You Keep Uncooked Stuffed Pasta Shells in the Refrigerator?
You can prep this recipe ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days (you can find more storing info, here). Make sure that the container you use is covered well and it is airtight. When you’re ready to bake it, you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time because the shells are cold.
Can You Freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze the vegan stuffed jumbo shells. Fill the shells and arrange them on a large baking tray, but don’t bake it. Cover the tray so it is airtight and then freeze in for 3-4 hours or until all the shells are completely frozen. Once the shells have frozen, transfer the shells to a large ziplock or reusable silicone bag for easy storing.
How Do You Reheat Stuffed Shells in the Oven?
When you’re ready to reheat the frozen shells, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a casserole dish with one cup of tomato sauce. Arrange the frozen shells in the casserole dish and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Ways to Adapt This Recipe
- Vegan Lasagna: You can use the spinach artichoke dip filling as the creamy layers in vegan lasagna.
- Lasagna Roll-Ups: You can spoon the filling into lasagna noodles or thinly sliced zucchini slices and make rollups.
- Vegan Chicken Florentine: You can serve the vegan spinach dip over pasta that’s topped with vegan chicken tenders (I like Gardein seven grain tenders) or cauliflower steaks.
- Manicotti: You can use the filling to stuff manicotti tubes, top it with tomato sauce and bake it according to recipe instructions.
Notes & FAQ’s
- Gluten-Free: The spinach artichoke dip is naturally gluten-free, but make sure that you use gluten-free jumbo shells.
- Are Barilla jumbo shells vegan? Yes, they’re vegan and that is what I used to make this recipe.
- Leftover Dip: Some of the shells might break while they’re cooking, so you may end up with extra spinach artichoke dip. If you have any leftover dip, you can serve it with chips or veggies for a snack.
- Filling Options: You can use a spoon to scoop the filling into the shells, or you can transfer the spinach dip filling to a large ziplock bag and cut the tip off of one side and then pipe it into the shells.
- Substitute for Cashew Cream: If you don’t want to make the spinach dip from scratch, you can substitute Kite Hill vegan ricotta for the cashew cream. Mix the premade almond ricotta with the frozen spinach in a large pan over medium heat until the spinach has defrosted and the filling is combined.
- Spinach Substitutions: Thinly sliced kale would be a good substitute for spinach.
- How to stop the noodles from tearing? After you drain the hot water from the noodles, rinse the noodles immediately with cold water. Then place each shell on a lined tray so they’re not touching each other. If the shells aren’t touching/sticking to the other shells, you should be able to handle them without any tearing.
Success Tips
- Undercook the shells by 2 minutes when you boil them, so they’ll be easier to handle and won’t tear when you’re filling them. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven so you don’t need to worry that they will be too firm.
- When you’re topping the stuffed pasta shells with the tomato sauce, make sure to evenly cover all the shells so you don’t get any crispy or burnt edges on the noodles.
- If you want to add extra cheese on top of the shells, I recommend that you use shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (I have made it with Violife, Follow Your Heart and So Delicious shreds).
- You can prepare the vegan shells up to 3 days before you want to bake them.
- Store leftover shells in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- If you want to freeze the shells, follow the instructions to assemble, but don’t bake the shells before freezing. Find the full freezing/baking instructions above.
More Easy Vegan Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
Spaghetti and Lentil Mushroom Meatballs
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Equipment
- Blender
- Large Pan
- Large Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 12 oz box jumbo shells (use gluten-free shells if necessary)
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp himalayan pink sea salt (more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- (2) 14 oz cans artichoke hearts in water rinsed, drained, and roughly chopped
- (3) 10 oz bags frozen spinach
- 3 cups tomato sauce (I used a 25 oz jar)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Boil the cashews for 10 minutes and then drain and discard the water. Once the cashews have cooled, you can prepare the vegan spinach artichoke dip.
- While you're making the dip, cook the shells in a large pot of salted boiling water. Undercook the shells by 2 minutes so they're slightly firmer than fully cooked, this will make them less likely to tear when you fill them. Drain the shells and rinse them with cold water. Lay the cooked shells (not touching each other) open side up on a tray that's lined with parchment paper.
- Pour 1 cup of tomato sauce into the bottom of a large casserole dish and spread it around evenly.
- When the shells are cool enough to handle, spoon 2 tbsp of the spinach dip into each shell. Place the shells open side up into the casserole dish. Repeat until you run out of filling or shells.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Try to cover all the edges so they won't get hard in the oven. If you want to add shredded vegan cheese, add it now.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Remove the shells from the oven and garnish with dried or fresh parsley.
Notes
- Cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package instructions, so they'll be easier to handle and won't tear when you're filling them.
- When you're topping the shells with the tomato sauce, make sure to evenly cover all the shells so you don't get any crispy or burnt edges on the noodles.
- If you want to add extra cheese on top of the shells, I recommend that you use shredded vegan mozzarella cheese (I have made it with Violife, Follow Your Heart and So Delicious shreds).
- You can prepare the shells up to 3 days before you want to bake them.
- Store leftover shells in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- If you want to freeze the shells, follow the instructions to assemble, but don't bake the shells before freezing. Find the full freezing/baking instructions above.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 8/16/16 but I updated it with better instructions on 5/19/20.
Also if I use 2 boxes of pasta, do I need to double the spinach artichoke dip recipe?
What size are the boxes of pasta that you’re using? How many ounces?
Do I have to use frozen spinach?
Hello! You can use fresh spinach, but give it a rough chop so it’s easier to eat without big clumps of spinach.
Thank you!
12 oz