Vegan Stuffed Shells Tofu Pasta Recipe

Shell pasta is a classic dish traditionally made with meat or cheese stuffing. This vegan stuffed shells version uses tofu, pesto, and vegetables as the stuffing for a healthy and delicious meal. This dish is easy to make and perfect for a weekend dinner party. Guests will love the creamy sauce and cheesy flavor of the shells.

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This tofu pesto pasta is creamy, has a great texture, and is loaded with the most delicious vegetables, nutritional yeast, and tofu stuffing, to ensure it is nutritious and plant-protein packed.

We love that these vegan stuffed pasta shells work perfectly as an entree, side dish, or appetizer and are delicious, accompanied by a kale salad with balsamic marinade.

This stuffed conchiglioni (italian stuffed pasta) was inspired by our stuffed mushrooms and 5-minute vegan basil pesto on this site.

These pasta shells make a perfect special occasion starter. Why not try it out for Valentine's dinner!

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💡Top tip
• 🍶 Substitutions
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🥡 Storage
• 🇮🇹 More Italian recipes inspiration
• 📋 Recipe
• 🌡️ Food safety
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Ingredients

• Gluten-free pasta shells (or regular)
• Fresh mushrooms
• Fresh spinach or frozen spinach
• Onion
• Minced garlic or garlic powder
• Dried tomatoes
• Breadcrumbs
• Extra-firm tofu
• Nutritional yeast
• Pesto sauce

Optional: chopped parsley and cherry tomatoes.

If making homemade pesto. Make the 5-minutes Easy Vegan Pesto Recipe, simply placing all the ingredients in a blender.

🔪 Instructions

1. Briefly boil the jumbo pasta shells according to package directions until they are just al dente and reserve with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
2. Crumble tofu with your hands, draining any excess water.
3. Cook tofu. Dice the zucchini and mushrooms, and coarsely chop the dried tomatoes; then cook with a little olive oil if not using a non-stick pan, stirring occasionally.
4. Sauté your chopped vegetables, crumbled tofu, and seasonings.
5. Blend the sautéd ingredients plus all the remaining ingredients in a food processor, reserve there, or place them in a large mixing bowl to work more comfortably.
6. Fill the jumbo shells with the help of a spoon, holding them with a hand, one at a time.
7. Prepare for baking, arranging the stuffed shells in a baking dish or casserole dish.
8. Top with the pesto and let the vegan stuffed shells cook in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 375ºF (180ºC).
9. Optionally, briefly cook whole cherry or grape tomatoes in a skillet and reserve.
10. Serve the pasta shells with the blistered tomatoes and optional fresh basil leaves.

Make these vegan stuffed shells recipe for dinner tonight!

🍶 Substitutions

Here we offer some substitutions to make dairy-free stuffed shells

• Vegetables - this mushroom stuffed shells recipe features highly nutritious and flavor-packed ingredients that are also easy to substitute. You can easily adapt this recipe with any mix of veggies in your fridge. Simply process the vegetables, baby spinach, and tofu to make a spinach ricotta filling.
• Pasta sauce - you can top the vegan stuffed shells with any pasta sauce like store-bought tomato sauce made, traditional Italian tomato passata, homemade marinara sauce (see recipe), vegan bechamel sauce, or vegan basil pesto sauce. Sun-dried, pistachio pesto, or arugula pesto work as well.
• Vegan ricotta - instead of using tofu and nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor, you can use a portion of choice of vegan cheese shreds or simply use homemade tofu ricotta, which takes 5-minutes to make. You could use silken tofu instead but drain all the excess liquid thoroughly.
• Pasta - you could make this amazing recipe using your favorite pasta, like cannelloni tubes, as long as you they have a shape that you can fill.

Hint: add red pepper flakes to make the dish hot.

🍽 Equipment

• You need a food processor (this one is my favorite).
• Saucepan or skillet.
• Baking tray.

🥡 Storage

This tofu and pasta recipe is abundant, so it’s perfect for serving a crowd, having seconds, or saving leftover stuffed shells for the next day.

Store tofu pesto pasta leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Alternatively, store them in the freezer for several months, and thaw them overnight before consuming.

🇮🇹 More Italian recipes inspiration

• Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti
• 3-Ingredient Pasta Sauce
• Pasta alla puttanesca
• Saffron Risotto
• Lemony Spaghetti
• 14 Vegan Italian Recipes

Check out our Vegan Italian Dishes Post.

See more ways to prepare tofu to perfection and how to make crispy tofu.

Tofu is great for making stuffing on vegan dishes; we use it to stuff onions and our stuffed peppers recipe.

If you made these stuffed pasta shells vegan, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe

🌡️ Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

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