'Ricotta' Filled Pasta Shells

Stuffed pasta shells! I used the filling for this in my mini pies as well! My mum use to make these for me when I was younger so I decided to veganize them. I made the 'ricotta' out of tofu and lots of other delicious ingredients to create a very another dish the tis flavourful, hearty and healthy. 

Recipe -

Filling :

Half of a sweet potato 

Medium onion

1 clove of garlic

1 Tbsp maple syrup

Salt

1/2 cup pasta sauce (I used five brothers)

Handful baby spinach

Handful fresh basil

Half a lemon juice

Puff pastry 

4 Tbsp vegan pesto (store bought or made)

3 Tbsp almond milk 

Steam chopped sweet potato. 

Chop the onion into small pieces. Sauté onion in water until soft, season with salt. Add maple syrup, sauté further until onion is caramelised. Add steamed sweet potato, baby spinach and pasta sauce. Cook until spinach has wilted, approx. 10mins. 

Pasta shells :

Filling mixture 

Large pasta shells 

Handful baby spinach

3 Tbsp pesto

1 cup pasta sauce

3 Tbsp toasted pignuts 

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast 

Cook pasta as to instructions. Drain and set aside

Spread 1/4 cup of pasta sauce across bottom of dish. Place baby spinach on top. 

Lay cooked pasta shells on top of spinach and fill with pre made mixture. Pour the remaining pasta sauce over. Drizzle pesto over followed by toasted pine nuts and nutritional yeast. 

Place in 180 degree oven for 10-15 mins.

Straight after I got them out of the oven, so so good. 

You can serve them with any vegetable, I went with broccolini, my fave.

Here is the video .. enjoy!