Vegan Stuffed Conchiglione Pasta Shells Food

SPINACH AND 'RICOTTA' VEGAN STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cook pasta shells according to package directions.
• Combine the cashew ricotta with the spinach, set aside.
• Pour the entire jar of pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, spreading evenly to all edges. Alternately, pour half the pasta sauce, fill with stuffed shells, and pour the other half over top.
• Scoop out rounded tablespoon of the spinach-ricotta and stuff each of the pasta shells, placing them in the baking dish. (I was able to get 3 rows of 6, your results will vary depending on your baking dish.)
• Place baking dish, covered, in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, sauce should be bubbly. Remove cover, reduce heat to 375 degrees F. and cook for 10 - 15 minutes more.
• with fresh chopped herbs of choice and a good dusting of almond parmesan.
• Serves 6 (3 shells per serving)
• Cooked, or leftover, stuffed pasta shells can be stored in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container, for up to 5 days.

VEGAN STUFFED SHELLS WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• FOR THE EGGPLANT: Sprinkle eggplant rounds with sea salt and place in a colander over the sink to let drain. After 10 minutes rinse lightly and then pat dry. Slice into quarters, place on a cookie sheet and toss in olive oil and sea salt. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until slightly browned and softened, tossing once or twice to ensure even roasting. Set aside.
• Next, bring a pot of water to a boil and add shells and a pinch of sea salt. Stir once and cook according to package instructions. Also, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
• While the shells are cooking, add tofu to a food processor and pulse a couple times to break it up. Then add pesto, a healthy pinch of sea salt, dairy-free mozzarella shreds and mix until just combined. Taste a little and see if you need more salt or pesto. Then stir in roasted eggplant.
• Once the shells are done, drain and let cool slightly. Pour 1/2 cup red sauce in the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron or 8×8 pan (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), then stuff shells with generous spoonfuls of filling.
• Arrange shells split side up in the pan and then top with remaining tomato sauce - they should be covered but not drowning. Bake for 35 minutes or until warm and bubbly. Serve immediately. These go great with Caesar salad, steamed broccoli and/or garlic bread.

VEGAN STUFFED CONCHIGLIONE (PASTA SHELLS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, onion powder, oregano, basil, thyme, paprika, black pepper and sea salt.
• Spread half the sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch casserole dish.
• In a bowl, mash the tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, basil, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic until the consistency of ricotta or cottage cheese. Fold in the spinach until well combined.
• Spoon even amounts of filling (about 1 ½ - 2 tbsp) filling into each pasta shell.
• Arrange shells in the casserole dish and pour the remaining tomato sauce over top.
• Cover and bake 30 minutes.
• Uncover and bake a further 10 minutes.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

TUSCAN STUFFED PASTA SHELLS (VEGAN)

Steps:

• Grate the zucchini and set aside.
• In a large pot of boiling water, cook the shells until al dente, approximately 6-8 minutes.
• Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the grated zucchini in a large mixing bowl. Crumble the tofu and add to the bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for the olive oil and pasta sauce. Mix well.
• Coat a 13"x 9" baking dish with olive oil.
• Fill each pasta shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the zucchini-tofu filling.
• Arrange the shells, filling side up in the prepared baking dish.
• Pour the pasta sauce over the top, allowing some of the sauce to dribble to the bottom of the baking dish.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes.
• Remove aluminum foil last 5 minutes of baking.
• Serve hot.

BAKED CONCHIGLIONI WITH SAUSAGE, SAGE & BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Place the squash in a microwavable bowl with 1 tbsp water. Cook in the microwave on High for 10 mins or until soft. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the sage leaves and sizzle for 1 min. Remove the sausages from their skins and divide into small balls about the size of unshelled hazelnuts. Add to the pan and fry until browned. Add half the squash and set aside. Mash the remaining squash with any liquid from the bowl, the nutmeg and seasoning.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and stir to a paste. Cook for 1-2 mins, stirring the whole time, then gradually mix in the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Add the mashed squash, Parmesan and plenty of seasoning. Add 3-4 tbsp of the sauce to the sausage mix to moisten it a little.
• Spread the remaining squash sauce over the base of a large, shallow baking dish. Drain the pasta, but keep a little liquid in the pan to stop the shells from sticking together. Fish any broken bits of pasta out of the pan and scatter these over the sauce. Line up the shells on top, pushing them down into the sauce so only the tops of the shells are poking out. Fill each shell with the sausage mixture. Scatter with fontina or mozzarella, grate over some extra Parmesan and drizzle with a little truffle oil, if you like. Bake for 30 mins or until golden brown.

STUFFED PASTA BAKE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• To make the bolognese, heat the oil in a wide ovenproof pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion, celery and carrot with some seasoning for 20 mins until soft and lightly golden. Tip in the beef mince, turn up the heat and fry, stirring regularly, for another 10 mins until the mince browns. Add the garlic, fry for a minute, then pour in the wine and bubble for a few mins more, scraping the pan to release any bits. Stir through the purée, bay leaves and tomatoes, with a canful of water. Simmer for 1½ hrs, covered for the first hour, then remove the lid and bubble until the tomatoes have broken down. Season with salt, pepper, the sugar and balsamic vinegar.
• Tip the pasta shells into a large heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt, and pour over a kettle of boiled water. Cover and leave to soften for 15-20 mins - they need to retain some firmness so you can fill them.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4 and drain the pasta. Use a fork to mash the mascarpone with the mozzarella, chopped basil, garlic and some black pepper in a bowl.
• The bolognese should be a little wetter than you'd like as the pasta shells will absorb some of the liquid as it bakes. Remove from the heat, giving it a final stir. Using a teaspoon, fill the pasta shells with some of the mascarpone mixture, pressing the mix in with your index finger. Nestle the shells into the sauce, filled-side up. Bake for 20-30 mins until the top is golden and bubbling, and the pasta is tender. Grate over some parmesan and finish with a few basil leaves.