White Bean and Spinach Stuffed Shells
I came up with this recipe to prove that you can make vegan stuffed shells without tofu! The filling isn't trying to mimic ricotta, so don't expect that. It has its own delicious flavor - it's creamy, with a slight lemon flavor that goes very well with the tomato sauce.I puree the filling until it's completely smooth because I have a picky2 year old who doesn't like chunks of beans in his food, but feel free to leave some texture if you wish! This recipe seems like there are a lot of ingredients, but it's mostly just herbs and seasonings so it doesn't take very long to whip up.
- 1 tsp dried Basil
- Zest of one Lemon
- 3 Garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/8 tsp Agave
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
- 3-4 tbsp Rice milk
- 1 bunch Spinach (stems removed), thinly sliced
- 2-1/2 cups cooked White Beans
- 3/4 tsp Sea salt, plus more to taste, if desired
- 22 jumbo shells
- 3 cups your favorite Tomato sauce
- 1/4 tsp Mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup raw Cashews
- 1-1/2 tsp Onion powder
- Cook jumbo shells according to the directions on the box. Drain well and set aside.
- Preheat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and let it sizzle for about 20-30 seconds, until fragrant. Add spinach and cook until just wilted, 1 -2 minutes. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine beans, cashews, zest, onion powder, basil, oregano, mustard powder, salt, vinegar, milk and agave and blend until smooth. Remove the blade and fold in spinach.
- Preheat oven to 350. Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce on a 9 x 11-inch baking pan and spread it around evenly. Stuff each shell with 2 heaping tbsp of white bean filling and arrange them in a single layer on the pan. Top with remaining tomato sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.