Vegan Pumpkin Stuffed Shells with Charred Greens
A decadent autumn dinner of pasta shells stuffed with pumpkin ricotta, and charred greens, topped with creamy pumpkin cashew sauce.
Equipment
- blender (high powered preferred)
- Food processor
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 pckg jumbo shells
- fresh parsley chopped
- vegan parmesan
Pumpkin Ricotta
- 1 pckg extra firm tofu pressed to remove liquid
- 1 onion diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 T nutritional yeast
- 1 T mellow miso paste
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Charred Greens
- 8 oz kale or greens of choice torn into pieces
- 2 T water
- 1 T olive oil
- salt to taste
Pumpkin Cream Sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 T nutritional yeast
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil the jumbo shells according to the package directions, making sure they are still holding shape when done. This took me about 4 minutes. Remember, they will continue to cook in the oven so don't overdo them! Drain and then cover with cold water to stop them from cooking.
- Saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat, making sure it doesn't brown. Add to your food processor along with the remainder of the ricotta ingredients and pulse together. Taste to adjust salt. Set aside.
- For the greens, add water and greens to a pan and cover, cooking over medium heat for 3 minutes to wilt. Then uncover the pan and add oil, tossing with tongs to make sure the greens are evenly covered. Increase the burner to medium-high and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring once, or until the greens are lightly charred. Set aside.
- For the sauce, add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend for 2-3 minutes, until creamy with no bits of cashews. If you don't have a high-powered blender, simply soak the cashews in hot water for 10 minutes before blending.
- Time to assemble and bake the shells! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover the bottom of a square baking dish with some sauce. Then, fill each shell with the pumpkin ricotta and place them into the baking dish, tightly nestling them in next to one another. After the tray is filled with shells, tuck the charred greens between them. Pour more sauce over the tops of the shells, add chopped parsley and optional parmesan, and then bake for 20 minutes. Feel free to add more sauce after it's done baking if you like it saucy!