• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
I LOVE VEGAN
  • recipes →
  • go vegan!
  • subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • recipes →
  • go vegan!
  • subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • recipes →
    • go vegan!
    • subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Tumblr
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » All Recipes

    Basil Tofu "Ricotta" Stuffed Shells

    Basil Tofu "Ricotta" Stuffed Shells on a marble countertop.

    It’s no secret that we LOVE tofu! It’s one of our favourite ingredients. To date, we’ve posted over 40 tofu recipes to ilovevegan.com.

    Basil Tofu "Ricotta" ingredients in a food processor.

    Tofu is our go-to ingredient when we’re veganizing a recipe. We love veganizing recipes by substituting tofu for meat, eggs, or dairy in our recipes. Some of our favourite ways to use tofu are:

    • Extra-firm tofu instead of eggs in quiches, scrambles, and breakfast sandwiches
    • Extra-firm tofu instead of meat in curries, stews, pasta sauces, salads, and sandwiches (like BLTs!)

    Finished Basil Tofu "Ricotta" in a food processor.

    Most of the time I use extra-firm tofu in my recipes. It’s nice and firm with a dense texture. It’s great for marinating, crumbling or slicing, and baking, frying, or grilling. It’s flavour is delicate and mild, so it’s perfect for soaking up any flavour.

    Close up of Basil Tofu "Ricotta" Stuffed Shells before baking.

    Extra-firm tofu is absolutely perfect for making this dairy-free ricotta. You can use this tofu basil “ricotta” for lasagnas, pizzas, and stuffed pastas like these jumbo shells.

    Basil Tofu "Ricotta" Stuffed Shells on a marble countertop.

    Customization ideas:

    • Before adding the marinara sauce to the baking dish, add 1 cup of vegan "ground beef". Top with marinara sauce and stuffed shells. Continue with the recipe as directed.
    • Top the stuffed shells with vegan cheese shreds before baking.


    Print

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Basil Tofu "Ricotta" Stuffed Shells on a marble countertop.

    Basil Tofu "Ricotta" Stuffed Shells

    ★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews
    • Author: Brittany Mueller
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: 15 stuffed shells 1x
    • Category: Lunch and Dinner, Main, Entrée
    • Cuisine: Vegan
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    This dairy-free basil "ricotta" is perfect for making lasagnas, pizzas, and stuffed pastas like these jumbo shells. This simple recipe uses jarred marinara sauce but you can make your own pasta sauce too!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 15 jumbo pasta shells
    • 2 cups marinara sauce (plus extra for topping - optional)
    • Optional: ½ cup vegan mozzarella cheese, for topping

    Tofu Ricotta

    • 1 block (350g) extra-firm tofu
    • ⅓ cup /80ml (40g) vegan mozzarella shreds
    • ⅓ cup / 80ml (30g) fresh basil
    • ¼ cup / 60ml (35g) nutritional yeast
    • 2 tbsp / 30ml olive oil
    • 1 tbsp / 15ml lemon juice
    • 1 tsp / 5ml salt
    • ½ tsp / 2.5ml garlic powder
    • Black pepper, to taste

    Instructions

    Tofu Ricotta

    1. In a food processor, combine extra-firm tofu, mozzarella, nutritional yeast, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pulse, pausing to scrape down the sides of the processor as needed, until the mixture is almost smooth and the basil is chopped and evenly distributed. Do not overprocess, the tofu should still have a slightly grainy texture.
    2. Makes 2 cups (enough to fill 15-18 jumbo pasta shells.)

    Stuffed Shells

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
    2. Cook jumbo pasta shells according to instructions.
    3. Pour 2 cups of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9” x 9” casserole dish. Fill cooked jumbo pasta shells with tofu ricotta. Place stuffed shells on top of marinara sauce.Optional: Spoon shells with extra marinara sauce and vegan cheese shreds.
    4. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @ilovegan on Instagram and hashtag it #ilovegan

    « 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
    Vegan Loaded Smashed Potatoes »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jackie

      November 30, 2022 at 11:03 am

      Hello I was wondering if I should press the tofu before adding it to the food processor? I plan on making it for dinner tonight. Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Christina

      September 20, 2021 at 1:23 pm

      Thank you SO much for this recipe! My boyfriend and I are newly vegan, and we are having a hard time finding comfort food recipes that are reminiscent of old favorites. Most have been duds that we can hardly finish. I made this for the first time the other night, and my boyfriend had to work very late. He had a rough evening, and had come home after I went to bed. I texted him that I made some vegan stuffed pasta shells because I knew he would be starving. He came home in a bad mood, but told me this morning that he couldn't believe that the dish was actually vegan! He absolutely loved it, and it made his evening much better after a rough shift. Thank you <3.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Madison

      November 09, 2020 at 5:47 pm

      Made this yesterday and it was so good!!! Easy to make for multiple meals / lunches for the week!! Definitely recommend!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Jessica W

      March 10, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      This has changed my life! Lol kidding... but not really 😉 seriously, so delicious. I’ve already shared it with several friends. Thanks for creating this masterpiece!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Corina

      December 16, 2019 at 12:55 am

      This has become one of my favorite recipes, soooo good. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Brittany

        January 03, 2020 at 11:23 am

        Yay! I'm so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for commenting!

        Reply
    6. Kristall

      July 02, 2019 at 2:02 pm

      What brand vegan mozzarella cheese do you use? And do you press the tofu first?

      Reply
    7. kootenayrunner

      December 17, 2018 at 3:51 pm

      These look incredible and pretty easy to whip up with your product suggestions. Hurray for pasta, with flavor, and...its vegan.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Brittany

        December 20, 2018 at 11:49 am

        Thank you so much Cheryl! Happy Holidays!

        Reply
      • Susana

        January 16, 2021 at 11:26 am

        Love this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to share your healthy food with others ! God bless you both

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    8. Nina Javez

      December 17, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      iIe been looking for a good ricotta recipe for a while now, but I will probably use this for lasagna tho haha

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Brittany

        December 20, 2018 at 11:50 am

        Perfect! I love it in lasagna too!

        Reply
        • Jackie

          November 28, 2022 at 4:16 pm

          Hello, I was planning on making this for dinner tonight, I already bought all the ingredients. I was just looking over the recipe again and wondering if I should press the tofu first before adding it to the food processor?

          Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello!

    We're Brittany and William!
    We live in Alberta, Canada. We love eating really great (vegan) food + promoting veganism in a friendly and relaxed way.

    More about us →

    Popular Recipes

    • Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
    • Garlicky Cashew Broccoli & Tofu Stir-Fry
    • Vegetable Pakoras
    • Vegan Rice Paper Rolls with Sriracha & Soy Sauce Tofu and Peanut Sauce

    Footer

    ↑ back to top ↑

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy

    ✉ Subscribe

    • Sign Up for recipes by email

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Collaborate
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2021 I Love Vegan Inc.