Stuffed Ricotta Shells

Ingredients for 4 servings:

First of all make the marinara sauce and also soak 1 cup of cashews in hot water.

Marinara sauce recipe:

Ingredients:

2 tins of crushed tomatoes

1 small onion finely diced

4 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

dash of salt

dash of black pepper

½ cup of gravy

Method:

1. fry the onion in the olive oil until soft.

2. add the garlic powder and stir in.

3. add the tinned tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and stir well.

4. add the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer.

5. let the sauce simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

6. taste and adjust to your liking and stir in fresh basil

Ingredients for stuffed shells:

10 oz Large pasta shells or 400g

14oz Silken tofu

1 cup of Spinach

1 cup of soaked cashews (soak for 15minutes in hot water)

juice from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon Miso

2 tablespoons of Nutritional yeast

3 teaspoons of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

½ teaspoon of onion powder

½ teaspoon of dried basil

½ teaspoon of dried oregano

2 tablespoons of fresh basil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

1. preheat oven to 170C fan, 190C, 375F or gas number 5

2. grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish

3. cook the pasta shells as per the packet instructions but generally it is boil a pan full of water, add the pasta shells and cook until it is “al dente” and then drain and rinse under cold water.

4. make the filling:

in a food processor add the following:

tofu

soaked cashews

lemon juice

miso

nutritional yeast

garlic

olive oil

salt

black pepper

onion powder

dried basil

dried oregano

pulse until just about smooth but still with a bit of texture

4. spread the marinara sauce evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.

Stuff each shell with the filling and place on the sauce

sprinkle with the vegan mozzarella shreds and drizzle with olive oil

5. cover the dish with greased foil and bake for 25 minutes

remove foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes

6. cool for 5 minutes and sprinkle with fresh basil

when dish is baking add the following to a baking dish for the roasted vegetables:

courgette, bell peppers, asparagus with olive oil, salt and herbs.

serve with:

garlic bread or focaccia bread

roasted vegetables