This recipe for Vegan Stuffed Shells is a guaranteed hit for the whole family! Tender pasta shells filled to the brim with creamy vegan ricotta and Parmesan are a foolproof way to bring everyone together around the table. Each savory bite is bathed in rich marinara sauce as a timeless comforting classic.
Traditional stuffed shells are a true labor of love. Between the sauce, pasta, and filling, it could take all day to get the whole dish assembled and baked! Cut out all the hassle and headache with an easier, quicker, and healthier approach that still satisfies all those nostalgic cravings.
Hearty yet elegant, Vegan Stuffed Shells are a versatile entrée that fits the bill any day of the year. From low-key weeknight dinners to elaborate holiday meals, kids and adults alike will enthusiastically dish out seconds- and possibly thirds! You’ll look like a master chef after spending mere minutes in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Stuffed Shells Recipe
What’s not to love about cheesy baked pasta smothered in savory red sauce? In case you’re not already sold by that description alone, here are some other winning attributes to consider:
- Super-fast prep . How many things can you do in just 5 minutes? You’ll spend more time on hold if you call your nearest Italian restaurant for takeout! That’s all it takes to assemble these stuffed shells and slide them into the oven; they practically cook themselves.
- Great for a crowd . If you need to feed a hungry family or the whole soccer team, it’s a snap with this simple formula! Easily double, or even triple, as needed, baking off as many pans as will fit in the oven.
- Ideal make-ahead meal . Prep for success and have stuffed shells ready to go before stomachs begin to growl. You can assemble it for up to a day in advance, and leftovers will keep for 5 to 7 days.
- High in protein and fiber . Vegan ricotta contains a serious serving of plant protein, while spinach adds fiber and nutrients that even picky eaters will gobble down. It’s perfect for sneaking in some leafy greens, hidden in plain sight!
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
- Pasta shells – Look for jumbo shells in the dry pasta aisle. They’re typically sold in 12- or 16-ounce boxes, which is handy since there’s often a number that are broken and unusable for this recipe. Save the pieces for making noodle soup!
- Marinara sauce – You can go all out and use my homemade marinara in this recipe, but ready-made marinara is an ideal pantry staple to keep on hand for effortless meal prep. Use any brand you prefer.
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Spinach
- Vegan ricotta – Homemade ricotta is my favorite cheesy filling for stuffed shells. You can always grab a tub of vegan ricotta at the grocery store instead.
- Vegan Parmesan – I recommend Violife Just like Parmesan or Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Parmesan-Style Shreds.
- Kosher salt
- Nutmeg
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Shells
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . Lightly grease your baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Drain and rinse.
- Spread marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish.
- Sauté the garlic and spinach. Cook until the greens are wilted and the whole mixture is aromatic.
- Add vegan ricotta, half of the Parmesan, salt, and nutmeg to the greens. Mix well to combine.
- Stuff the pasta shells with the ricotta mixture. Once filled, place them in the baking dish in even rows. Top with the remaining sauce and Parmesan. Cover and bake until bubbling and golden. Uncover and bake a few minutes longer. Cool briefly and enjoy!
Tips for Success
While it’s impossible to go wrong with this tried-and-true favorite, here are some tips to ensure perfect vegan stuffed shells every time:
- Cook the pasta al dente , according to the package. Aim for the least amount of time recommended, since they’ll keep cooking while they bake. You don’t want them overdone and mushy in the end.
- The dish can be assembled up to eight hours ahead of baking. The dish should be covered with foil and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. To compensate for chilled pasta, you may need to add up to 10 more minutes to the baking time.
Variation Ideas
The beauty of Vegan Stuffed Shells is how versatile they are, completely adaptable to your tastes. You never eat exactly the same dish twice if you want to shake things up! Here are a few ideas of putting your own unique spin on them:
- Add vegetables. Caramelized onions or roasted mushrooms can add volumes of savory flavor even in small amounts. Other great additions include roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, grilled corn, or fresh peas.
- Add protein. Meat-lovers are welcome here too! Sauté your favorite plant-based grounds or crumbled veggie burgers to beef up the filling.
- Add seasonings. Fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes will never steer you wrong when it comes to baked pasta. Rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage would be fantastic to include in a more autumnal rendition, whereas dill, parsley, and lemon zest would make it taste like a bright, zesty celebration of spring.
- Switch up the sauce. If the idea of more marinara has you seeing red, get saucy with a different flavorful option! Consider Vegan Alfredo Sauce , Vegan Cheese Sauce , Creamy Cashew Pea Pesto , or Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce , for starters.
How to Store Leftovers
Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap to make sure the dish is fully sealed. Store in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. See below for longer term storage solutions.
Can I Freeze Vegan Stuffed Shells?
Yes, Vegan Stuffed Shells freeze beautifully! Wrap leftovers lightly in plastic wrap and don’t forget to label with the date. They should keep in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. When you’re ready to eat, uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, until hot all the way though.
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta shells
- 25 oz marinara sauce , store-bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 2 cups vegan ricotta cheese , store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup shredded vegan Parmesan cheese , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook according to package instructions to al dente (about 9 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Meanwhile, spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the prepared baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When hot, add the spinach and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan, salt, and nutmeg and stir well to combine.
- Stuff each pasta shell with the spinach and cheese mixture and arrange in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Cover the dish. Bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden on top and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cook the pasta al dente, according to the package. Aim for the least amount of time recommended, since they’ll keep cooking while they bake. You don’t want them overdone and mushy in the end.
- The dish can be assembled up to eight hours ahead of baking. The dish should be covered with foil and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. To compensate for chilled pasta, you may need to add up to 10 more minutes to the baking time.
More Cozy Vegan Dinner Ideas
If you’re still craving comforting baked pasta dishes, I’ve got plenty of great recipes for you to try next!
- Vegan Lasagna
- Baked Vegan Mac & Cheese
- Cheezy Baked Ziti
- Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
Vegan Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta shells
- 25 oz marinara sauce store-bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 oz baby spinach
- 2 cups vegan ricotta cheese store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup shredded vegan Parmesan cheese divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook according to package instructions to al dente (about 9 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Meanwhile, spread 1 cup of marinara sauce in the prepared baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When hot, add the spinach and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan, salt, and nutmeg and stir well to combine.
- Stuff each pasta shell with the spinach and cheese mixture and arrange in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup Parmesan. Cover the dish. Bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden on top and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cook the pasta al dente, according to the package. Aim for the least amount of time recommended, since they’ll keep cooking while they bake. You don’t want them overdone and mushy in the end.
- The dish can be assembled up to eight hours ahead of baking. The dish should be covered with foil and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. To compensate for chilled pasta, you may need to add up to 10 more minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition
Vegan Stuffed Shells https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-stuffed-shells/ November 14, 2022
This sweet potato soufflé has it all. It’s rich, creamy, sweet, and bursting with spices and fall flavors. And best of all? It’s vegan!
I’m a big fan of all things sweet potato, especially when the weather starts to turn. Sweet potatoes are a comforting ingredient, and they just smell like fall, winter, and the holidays. This sweet potato soufflé recipe is one of my favorite ways to use sweet potatoes, because it has so many of my favorite ingredients to pair with them. There’s spicy cinnamon, the rich, caramel sweetness of brown sugar and maple syrup, and buttery, nutty pecans.
Just like my sweet potato casserole recipe, this soufflé satisfy your taste buds while being entirely vegan. And it’s also easy to make gluten free. You can see why it’s one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes!
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make this vegan sweet potato soufflé. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article for the specific amounts of each ingredient.
For the Soufflé:
- Sweet potatoes – You can also use frozen or canned sweet potatoes if you prefer.
- Aquafaba
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use pure maple syrup, rather than a syrup with artificial ingredients.
- Vegan butter – You’ll want to use melted, unsalted vegan butter for this recipe.
- Vanilla – Make sure to use 100% pure vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Brown sugar
- Non-dairy milk – You can use whatever type of non-dairy milk you prefer, just make sure that it’s unsweetened and doesn’t have any flavorings.
For the Topping:
- Brown sugar
- All-purpose flour – You can replace this with a gluten-free flour blend to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Vegan butter – Just as in the soufflé, make sure that the vegan butter is melted and unsalted.
- Pecan halves – Pecans and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven, but you can use other types of nuts if you prefer.
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid found in a can of garbanzo beans. It’s a thick liquid, and is commonly used in vegan baking. When beaten, aquafaba looks and behaves similarly to egg whites.
How to Make Sweet Potato Soufflé
Here’s how to make this sweet side dish.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Wash the potatoes, then prick them with a fork.
- Bake. Put the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet and bake them for about an hour. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through. The sweet potatoes should be soft, and easy to squeeze.
- Mash the sweet potatoes. Let the sweet potatoes cool for 15 minutes, or until you can safely handle them. Then remove the skins, place the sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl, and mash with a fork or a potato masher .
- Change the oven temp. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350F, and grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
- Beat the aquafaba. Pour the aquafaba into a stand mixer bowl, and beat with whisk attachment on high speed until stiff peaks are formed. This should take about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the rest of the soufflé ingredients to the sweet potatoes. Place the vegan butter, non-dairy milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until it is well combined and smooth. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Add the aquafaba. Fold the beaten aquafaba into the soufflé batter.
- Pour into the dish. Pour the soufflé batter into the prepared casserole dish, and spread until it’s even.
- Make the topping. Place the flour, brown sugar, pecans, and butter in a mixing bowl, and stir until well combined.
- Add the topping. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the sweet potato soufflé.
- Bake. Place the soufflé in the oven, and bake until the topping is golden brown and crispy, which should take about 35-40 minutes.
Tips for the Best Soufflé
Here are a few tricks for making this sweet potato soufflé recipe.
- Really beat the aquafaba. If you beat the aquafaba long enough, it will form very stiff peaks. A lot of people make the mistake when working with aquafaba of not beating it long enough, which results in softer peaks. Keep beating the aquafaba until stiff peaks are formed, or else you’ll end up with a sweet potato soufflé that is a little bit dense.
- Don’t fold the aquafaba too much. When you add the aquafaba to the soufflé batter, make sure you fold it in carefully. As soon as the aquafaba is incorporated, stop folding and mixing. If you fold it in too much, the aquafaba will deflate, making your soufflé heavy instead of airy.
- Use the right temperature butter. Both the soufflé and the topping use melted vegan butter. It’s important to use melted butter, and not firm butter, but you don’t want the butter to be hot. Melt the vegan butter, then let it sit until it reaches room temperature. If you use melted butter that is too hot in this recipe, it could make both the soufflé and the topping too wet.
Can This Recipe Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes! If you’re making this dish for the holidays, you can easily make it the day before. Cook the entire sweet potato soufflé, then cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the fridge. Reheat in the casserole dish, in a 350F oven until heated through. This should take about 10 minutes.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Sweet Potato Soufflé
Any leftover sweet potato soufflé can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can absolutely freeze this sweet potato soufflé. Just place it in an airtight container, and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw or defrost before reheating in the microwave.
More Sweet Potato Recipes to Make
I hope you love this sweet potato soufflé recipe as much as I do. If you do, then you might want to try one of my other favorite sweet potato recipes.
- Loaded sweet potato skins
- Mashed sweet potatoes
- Air fryer baked sweet potatoes
- Vegan sweet potato pie
- Sweet potato tater tots
Ingredients
For the Soufflé:
- 4 medium sweet potatoes , (about 2 ¼ pounds)
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba , from a can of unsalted chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegan butter , melted (you can substitute with coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup brown sugar , (66g)
- ½ cup non-dairy milk , (120mL)
For the Topping:
- ⅔ cup brown sugar , (133g)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour , (60g) (you can use a gluten-free flour blend if you prefer)
- ¼ cup vegan butter , melted
- 1 cup pecans
Instructions
To Prepare Potatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Wash and dry the potatoes and prick them with a fork.
- Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and bake for about 60 minutes, rotating them halfway through. Potatoes will be done when you can easily squeeze the sides and they feel soft. You can also bake them in the air fryer for less time .
- Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes. Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and place them in a large bowl.
- Mash them with a potato masher or fork.
To Prepare the Soufflé:
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F/180°C.
- Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.
- Add the aquafaba to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5-6 minutes.
- Combine the remaining ingredients (maple syrup, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, brown sugar and milk) with the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until it is an even consistency.
- Add the beaten aquafaba to the potato mixture and gently fold them together until no streaks of white remain.
- Spread the potato mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
To Prepare the Topping:
- Combine the brown sugar, flour, melted butter and pecans in a medium sized bowl. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and no flour is visible.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the potato mixture in the casserole dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Whip the aquafaba for a long time to ensure the consistency is correct.
- Don’t spend too much time folding the aquafaba into the batter, or else you’ll deflate it and your soufflé will be dense.
- Make sure to use melted butter, but let it come up to room temperature before using.
- Store the sweet potato soufflé in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
