Vegan Ricotta & Spinach Shells
Questa ricetta è disponibile anche in italiano
Vegan ricotta & Spinach shells are a wonderful way to get some creamy, cheesy, comfort food goodness into your vegan diet. Give them a go with our easy recipe!
We love these decadent little shells – they’re scrumptious and fun to make!
Before we hop into the recipe, it’s worth pointing out that both the ricotta and cheese we use in this recipe can be homemade. In fact, we’d recommend it! It’s always going to give you a taster flavor. If you’d like to save a little time, though, you can feel free to use store-bought alternatives.
Furthermore, any type of spinach will do for this recipe. In fact, I actually used frozen, pre-chopped spinach. If you do decide to use frozen spinach, remember to let it thaw before cooking. This will make things much easier for you. Also, ensure you always use roughly 250g (when thawed, not frozen) of spinach, and make sure that the spinach is chopped – full leaves will be too large for this recipe.
How To Make Vegan Ricotta Shells
To get started with this recipe, we need to deal with the spinach first. Start by sauteing the spinach in a pan with a dash of oil until it’s wilted. Then, remove it from the pan, chop it finely, and set it aside to cool.
Next, fill your biggest pasta pot with water, and bring it to a boil. Cook the pasta shells very al dente – to about 3-4 minutes fewer than the cooking time suggested on the box. Drain your pasta, and then transfer it to a bowl or a deep dish with some olive oil. Give them a slight toss in the bowl, just to make sure that they don’t stick to one another.
Now, combine all of the ingredients for the tomato sauce together in a microwave-friendly bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish, or a piece of clingfilm that has been pierced a couple of times to let steam out. Then, the microwave is at 750/800W for seven to eight minutes. If you’re using fresh basil instead of dried, then mix it into the sauce when it’s still hot – this will make the basil release extra flavor into your sauce.
Of course you can cook the sauce traditionally in a pot, but I find the microwave version to be more handy and straightforward, and it produced less heat in the house, which is definitely a big plus during summer months.
Up next, we have to give the vegan ricotta some flavor. Place your vegan ricotta into a bowl (we won’t tell anyone if you sneak a bite), and then cream with well with a fork or a whisk. Incorporating air at this stage will make it lighter and fluffier later on.
Now, you can add the remaining ingredients of the filling to the bowl with your whipped ricotta, making sure to mix well. If you’re in a decadent mood, you could also add some of our homemade vegan mozzarella to the mix – it’s delicious!
Now we come to assembling the dish to get it ready for baking. Spread a generous layer of tomato sauce across the base of a baking tray. You could use all of it, but we’d recommend using around two-thirds, and then you can use the final third to top the shells before you bake them.
Now, stuff the parboiled shells with about a tablespoon of filling, and arrange in a single layer over the tomato sauce. Try to make sure you use a baking dish where you can only just fit all the shells in. When they’re nestled up next to each other, flavors can mingle during the baking process.
Transfer the shells to a preheated oven at 180˚C/350˚F for twenty minutes. If you’d like, you can give them another five minutes under the grill after that, as that will crisp up the top and evaporate a little bit of water – leading to a more concentrated flavor.
Once the dish is finished and out of the oven, let it set for ten minutes or so, and then serve. Allowing it to serve will let the dish become slightly more solid, making it easier to serve and eat.
Vegan Ricotta & Spinach Shells Recipe
Ingredients:
250 g Pasta Shells
…for the filling…
1 dose Homemade Ricotta (yields between 350 to 400g)
250 g Spinach*
20 g Vegan Grated Cheese (to sprinkle on top of the shells before baking; optional)
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Black or White Pepper
¼ tsp Nutmeg (ground)
…for the tomato sauce…
500 g Tomato Passata
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Onion Powder
1 Handful Fresh Basil (or 1/2 tbsp dry)
½ tsp Sea Salt
Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Sauté the spinach (defrost first if using frozen) in a pan with no oil (or a little, if you prefer), until wilted. Finely chop the spinach and put aside to cool down.
2. In the meantime bring to a boil abundant water and cook the pasta shells very al dente (3-4 minutes less than the cooking time suggested on the box). Drain, transfer to a bowl or deep dish and drizzle with some olive oil so they won’t stick one to another.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the tomato sauce in a microwave friendly bowl, cover with a dish (or a sheet of cling film pierced a few times with a fork) and microwave at 750/800W for 7-8 minutes. If using fresh basil combine it at the very end, whilst the sauce it still hot for extra flavor.
4. In another bowl add the vegan ricotta and cream it well with a fork or whisk.
5. Combine the remaining ingredients of the filling and mix all well together. For an extra level of pleasure, you can also add some (homemade) vegan mozzarella to the mix.
6. Spread a generous layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking tray (you can use it all, or as much as 2/3 and keep the remaining 1/3 to top the stuffed shells prior to baking).
7. Stuff the parboiled shells with around 1 tbsp of filling, and arrange in one layer over the tomato sauce. Finish with a generous sprinkle of vegan grated cheese if you like.
8. Bake the Vegan Ricotta & Spinach Shells in a preheated static oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes, and for another 5 minutes in grill mode.
9. Allow the bake to set for at least 10 minutes out of the oven, then serve straight away.
For other yummy pasta dishes do not miss:
– Mushroom Tagliatelle Paglia & Fieno
– Creamy Cauliflower and Mushroom Pasta
– Sea Flavoured Courgettes (Zucchini) and Blossom Pasta
– Asparagus, Broccolini, Courgette and Pea Pesto
– Caramelized Onion, Olives and Hummus Pasta
– Oil Free Vegan Alfredo
– Super Easy Green Bean Pasta Bake
– Pasta with Butternut Squash and Smokey Crispy Seaweed
– Vegan Seafood Pasta
– Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and Parsley+Avocado Pesto
– Creamy Courgette and Rocket Pasta (with Homemade Stracchino Cheese)
– Courgette Blossom Pasta
– Creamy Avocado Pasta with Mixed Nuts and Cherries
– Beetroot Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragù and Parsley&Spinach Pesto