What to make for dinner? Isn’t that always the question? Well, struggle no more, my peeps, because this stuffed conchiglie pasta recipe with marinara and fresh herbs are here and they are crazily delicious!
All the flavor of lasagna stuffed into a pasta shell! These ricotta “cheese” filled shells are quick, easy, and make a great presentation for family and guests.
Conchiglie is just another fancy word for “shell” pasta and this stuffed conchiglie pasta recipe is inspired by Angela Liddon, author of the popular blog, Oh She Glows. Angela has a recipe for jumbo stuffed shells that looks soooo good and I modified it slightly to make it to my liking.
Instead of using true ricotta cheese, tofu is used in its place for a tasty ricotta-like flavor that can be added to any dish that calls for ricotta. I have a wonderful homemade ricotta recipe on the blog that’s perfect to use as a tasty dairy-free alternative for popular Italian recipes. Use this “ricotta” to make tasty dishes like lasagna, manicotti, and more.
You can prepare the tofu in a few ways: by hand, fork, or in a food processor. I prefer preparing it with a fork or by hand because it saves time in washing out a whole food processor, but it’s your choice. If you put it in the food processor, the result will be a creamier texture. I prefer mashing mine with a fork to make small curds as you’d find with true ricotta.
Not sure where to find jumbo pasta shells? You can find them in the grocery store aisle where they sell lasagna noodles and other popular pasta.
This stuffed conchiglie pasta recipe is:
Flavorful
Easy
Cheesy
Satisfying
Nutritional
Very low in cholesterol
Protein-rich – 19 grams in each serving!
Savory
Incredibly filling
This is the perfect meal to make when you want to sweeten up the deal with a few guests. And the sweeter thing? They reheat well and taste just as heavenly the next day. Hello lunch upgrade!
If you like this Italian dish, you’ll also love these pasta dishes on Bakerette:
Lemon Asparagus Fettucine Pasta Dish
Johnny Carino’s Angel Hair with Artichokes
Enjoy!
xoxo Jen
- 340 grams jumbo shells pasta (about 30 shells)
- 3 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, minced
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 (14 ounce) package extra-firm or firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or dairy-free Parmesan
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces Mozzarella style dairy-free cheese alternative, shredded (optional)
- Drain and rinse tofu block and wrap in paper towels followed by two to three tea towels and set aside on a plate. Top with a couple of heavy books. Let set for 20-25 minutes. This helps press out and drain liquid stored in the tofu. If you have a tofu press, more power to you! Use it.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the inside of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Place pasta shells in a pot of boiling water and a little olive oil and cook according to packaged instructions until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Do not overcook. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large skillet; add garlic and onion and saute until onions are cooked through and transparent (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add basil, parsley, and sugar and continue sauteeing 5 minutes more.
- Unwrap tofu and place in a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash tofu until it resembles curds. Toss in nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, lemon, cayenne and Mozzarella until well blended. Stir tofu mixture in with onion mixture in skillet. Cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat or until most of the water from the tofu cooks off. Remove from heat.
- Using a spoon, spread to the bottom of the prepared baking dish 1 cup of marinara sauce. Fill each shell with about 2 tablespoons of tofu ricotta and transfer to prepared baking dish. Pour remaining 2 cups of marinara sauce over the shells and sprinkle any leftover tofu ricotta to the top.
- Cover with foil. Poke several air holes in the foil with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with a nice green salad and French bread.
Inspired by OhSheGlows.com by Angela Liddon
About Jen
This looks mouthwatering. I can’t wait to try it. I’d love to experiment with different kinds of cheese though,what else do you think would work well with this dish? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, If you are a cheese person, you can use ricotta cheese in place.