These vegan stuffed shells are filled with the best super creamy spinach artichoke dip. This meal is family-friendly, easy to make, and it’s definitely a crowd-pleaser! Vegan.
*This recipe was originally posted on 8/16/16 but I updated it with better instructions on 7/27/19.
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I bet you’re wondering how to make easy vegan stuffed shells without ricotta, dairy cheese, or milk. Am I right?
My vegan spinach artichoke dip is so buttery, rich, and creamy, so I thought it would be the perfect filling for these stuffed jumbo shells! The stuffed shells à la Florentine filling almost tastes like a vegan cashew ricotta but even better in my opinion!
The first time I made this cheesy vegan recipe, I didn’t even tell my husband (at this time he was vegetarian, not vegan) that I made the stuffed shells without any dairy and he couldn’t tell the difference. That tells me that this recipe is the real deal and it will please vegans and non-vegans alike!
There’s very little prep work to make this healthy vegan comfort food meal because I use shortcuts like jarred (or canned) artichoke hearts, frozen spinach (no rinsing, drying, or chopping) and cashews that you don’t have to soak for hours (only boil for 10 minutes!) before blending them.
Basically, this dinner is very easy to make and you’re going to love every bite!
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells – Step by Step Instructions
Step #1 – Start by boiling the raw cashews in water for 10 minutes and then drain the water and put the cashews into a high-powered blender. Add the unsweetened coconut milk, salt, and pepper and blend on high until the sauce is smooth and creamy (like the picture below).
Step #2 – While you make the cashew cream sauce in a blender, you can start sauteeing the onions, artichokes, garlic, and spinach in a separate pan. Stir in the cashew cream sauce and mix it well.
Step #3 – While you’re making the spinach artichoke dip filling, boil the vegan pasta shells in salted water in a separate pot.
Step #4 – Drain the pasta shells and as soon as the shells have cooled enough for you to handle them, fill each shell with about 2 tbsps of the spinach artichoke dip.
Step #5 – In a large casserole dish, put a few spoonfuls of your favorite marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish, spread it around, and arrange the shells on top of the sauce. Top with more marinara sauce (and vegan shredded cheese if you like) and then bake it at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until it’s hot and the sauce is bubbly.
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.
Can You Freeze Leftover Shells?
Yes, you definitely can freeze the leftover shells! Prepare the stuffed shells in a freezer-safe casserole dish and follow all the steps but don’t bake it. When you’re ready to eat the shells, you can bake them right out of the freezer.
Just make sure the casserole dish you use is okay to go from freezer to oven, you don’t want the dish to crack while it’s being baked. If you don’t have a freezer and oven-safe casserole dish, you will need to let the shells defrost overnight in the fridge before baking them.
Can You Make Stuffed Shells with Butternut Squash?
Yes, you can definitely make the shells with butternut squash! I’ve actually had that exact dish (with a vegan butter sage sauce…YUM) at a vegetarian restaurant in New York City. I haven’t tried duplicating the recipe yet but I’m definitely adding it to my list because it’s delicious.
Until then, try this recipe. Vegan sweet potato stuffed shells would be yummy too if you prefer sweet potatoes over butternut squash.
Do This If You Don’t Want to Make the Filling From Scratch
I really hope that you try my spinach dip filling (because it’s delicious!) but if you can’t eat cashews or don’t want to make your own filling then I would highly recommend using Kite Hill Ricotta instead.
I love Kite Hill products (this post is not sponsored), I think they’re absolutely delicious and I actually use their almond ricotta for my vegan Spanakopita recipe! I think shells stuffed with Kite Hill ricotta filling would be super tasty.
If you choose to follow my recipe, just add the Kite Hill ricotta when the recipe says to mix the cashew cream with the sauteed onions, artichokes, garlic, and spinach.
Where Do You Buy Eggless Jumbo Shells?
For some reason, it’s really difficult to find vegan jumbo shells at the grocery store! Have you run into this problem too? I bought these jumbo shells because that’s what my store had and they’re accidentally vegan. However, I would prefer an organic brand but I haven’t found one yet. If you know of one please let me know in a comment!
If you can’t find eggless jumbo shells you should try this vegan spinach artichoke lasagna instead because I use the same spinach and artichoke dip recipe that the shells are stuffed with for the lasagna filling too!
Notes & Substitutions
- Make sure that you use raw cashews (not roasted or salted)so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Boil the cashews for 10 minutes instead of soaking them for hours to save time.
- You can use store-bought tomato sauce (my personal choice), homemade marinara sauce, pesto sauce, or even vodka sauce would be delicious.
- When you boil the shells, drain the water but reserve one cup and set it aside. Start stuffing the shells as soon as they’ve cooled just enough for you to handle them without burning yourself. If you let the shells cool completely then they will turn into one big sticky clump and they’ll start to rip when you try to separate them. If the shells start to get sticky, pour the reserved pasta water over them and it will help them to not stick together.
- Use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach to save time.
- If you have leftover spinach artichoke dip just serve it with chips or veggies for a snack.
- Store the leftover spinach cheese stuffed shells in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- You can freeze the stuffed shells and reheat them right out of the freezer if you use a freezer-safe dish.
- If you’re gluten-free, use these gluten-free jumbo shells instead.
Side Dishes to Serve with Stuffed Shells
Cherry Tomato Avocado Arugula Salad
Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts
Lemon Garlic Oven Roasted Asparagus
Italian Zucchini Tomato Pesto Bake
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Equipment
- 9x11 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 16 oz jumbo shells (use gluten-free shells if necessary)
- vegan spinach artichoke dip (Find the recipe link below)
- 25 oz jar tomato sauce
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare the vegan spinach artichoke dip. While you're making the dip, boil the shells. Drain the shells and set them aside to cool until you can handle them. Don't let the shells sit for too long or they will become sticky and form one big clump.
- Spoon about 2 tbsp (depending on how big the shell is) of the filling into each shell. You want it to be filled but not overflowing.
- Put 3-4 tbsp of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x11 oven-safe casserole dish and spread it evenly around. Place the stuffed shells into the casserole dish. Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with parchment paper or foil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Notes
- If you don't want to make your own spinach artichoke filling, I would recommend you substitute two containers of Kite hill almond ricotta instead of the spinach artichoke filling. Follow the recipe but add the ricotta instead when it calls for the cashew cream.
- If you like a particular vegan shredded cheese you could sprinkle it over the top of the casserole before you bake it for extra flavor.
- Make sure that you use raw cashews (not roasted or salted)so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Boil the cashews for 10 minutes instead of soaking them for hours to save time.
- You can use store-bought tomato sauce (my personal choice), homemade marinara sauce, pesto sauce, or even vodka sauce would be delicious.
- When you boil the shells, drain the water but reserve one cup and set it aside. Start stuffing the shells as soon as they've cooled just enough for you to handle them without burning yourself. If you let the shells cool completely then they will turn into one big sticky clump and they'll start to rip when you try to separate them. If the shells start to get sticky, pour the reserved pasta water over them and it will help them to not stick together.
- Use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach to save time.
- If you have leftover spinach artichoke dip just serve it with chips or veggies for a snack.
- Store the leftover spinach cheese stuffed shells in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- You can freeze the stuffed shells and reheat them right out of the freezer if you use a freezer-safe dish.
- If you're gluten-free, use these gluten-free jumbo shells instead.
