Meaty Vegan Stuffed Shells

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion

  diced
• 6 cloves garlic

  minced
• 6 baby bell peppers

  multicolor, seeded and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 16 oz vegan ground beef

  any brand you like.. I used Impossible
• 16 oz firm tofu

  crumbled
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp hemp hearts
• 22 oz crushed tomatoes

  canned
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp turbinado sugar

  optional
• 1 cup raw cashews

  soaked for 3 hours or overnight
• ¾ cup water
• 2 cup kale

  stemmed and shredded small
• 1 cup vegan cheese

  I used smoked gouda
• 16 oz large shell pasta
• 1 ea black pepper

  to taste

Instructions

• 1 First, Make the sauce. In a large saucepan over medium heat add the oil. Once
  hot, add the garlic, onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes until fragrant
  and browning. Add the vegan "ground beef", season with a pinch of salt and break
  it apart into small pieces in the pan and cook until it turns brown and solid
  just like beef does. It will take about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, Italian
  seasoning, salt and sugar if using. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• 2 Cook the pasta according to the box, drain well and rinse with cold water so
  that it is easy to handle. Reserve until the assembly step.
• 3 Make the "ricotta" in a large bowl by combining tofu, nutritional yeast, hemp
  hearts, and kale. Blend the cashews and water in a blender until creamy and
  pourable and add to the bowl with the tofu and other ingredients. Mix until well
  combined.
• 4 Preheat the oven to 375
• 5 Assemble the shells. In an oven safe lasagna pan place several ladle fulls of
  sauce on the bottom of the pan to nest the filled shells on. Using a scoop or
  tablespoon fill each cooked shell with about 1 oz of the tofu ricotta filling.
  Continue until all the shells are filled. Top with remaining sauce and vegan
  shredded cheese. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes until the
  cheese on top is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Optional bake for an additional
  10 minutes uncovered if you like crispy pasta edges.
• 6 Serve piping hot and garnish with fresh black pepper.
• 7 Enjoy for up to 5 days when stored properly in the refrigerator. Or freeze and
  enjoy for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Info