The dish of stuffed shells featuring jumbo pastas (also known as conchiglioni in Italy) filled with some delicious and healthier stuffing is perhaps one of the famous Italian dishes. The recipe here is based as per what is shown by Terry Walters who wrote Clean Food and Clean Start cookbooks. The books shows a basic stuffing with which a bit of alteration featuring more herbs and veggies can give us low-fat, dairy-free, gluten-free, and protein-rich dish.

The recipe has delicious tofu and ricotta-like cheese and that you can place the shells on lasagna or convert into eggplant rollatini. The taste might not be exactly of ricotta cheese but it is perhaps a delectable, dairy-free version. You can surely expect olive oil–poached garlic, vinegar, and miso blending the tofu with a smooth flavor and cheese-like taste.

Servings: 6

Approximate Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Approximate Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Per Three Stuffed Shells: Fat – 14g, Protein – 13g, Fiber – 5g, Carb – 42g

Ingredients

• Jumbo pasta shells – 6 oz

• Pasta sauce – 24 oz

• Baby spinach leaves – 5 oz or 6 cups

• Block, rinsed, drained, and patted dry tofu – one of 16-oz

• Olive oil – ¼ cup

• Peeled and thinly sliced garlic cloves – 12

• Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons

• White miso – 2 teaspoons

• Unpasteurized apple cider vinegar – 2 tablespoons

• Optional chopped green and/or Kalamata olives – 2 tablespoons

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat your microwave oven such that the temperature inside reaches up to 375°F.

2. Boil water in a big pot, add salt, and then put spinach so that it boils inside for 3-4 minutes to make it bright green and wilted. Once boiled, remove the spinach leaves with the help of a slotted spoon and allow them to drain.

3. Now, boil the jumbo shells in the same hot water, until they remain a bit uncooked. Then, drain and toss them with oil of 1 teaspoon. As a tip, cook the shells as per the directions given on the package.

4. Simmer olive oil and garlic in small skillet until garlic becomes golden and soft, over low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Once done, set the paste aside.

5. Crush tofu into food processor and mix it with miso, lemon juice, vinegar, and paste of oil and garlic until smooth it becomes smooth. Now, take the blend in a medium-sized bowl.

6. Gently chop the spinach leaves and mix them into the tofu blend. The stuffing is now ready.

7. Now add the 2 tablespoons of stuffing into each shell

8. Finally, place all shells in a big baking dish, such that it forms a single layer.

9. Next, on that single layer, make a layer of pasta sauce and add some olives as topping on it.

10. Finally, bake the dish until the sauce begins to bubble or for 45 minutes.

11. Before serving, allow it to stand for 10 minutes.

Instead of pizza sauce, you can even use tomato sauce cooked at home. Home cooked sauces are ideal for those who are on diet. You can even ricotta and mozzarella cheese in case you are a big fan of them or if you are preparing for kids.

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