Carrot Pesto & Vegan Ricotta Shells
Carrot Pesto & Vegan Ricotta Shells stuffed with a carrot pesto and rich plant-based ricotta, baked and topped with fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Vegan Carrot Pesto
- 3/4 cup carrots chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews or nut of choice
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp water
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp oregano
Vegan Ricotta
- 1 package firm tofu
- 1 package cashew cheese or vegan cream cheese (200 grams)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Carrot Pesto & Vegan Ricotta Shells
- 1 package large pasta shells
- fresh oregano or thyme as garnish
- 1 Tbsp olive oil to drizzle
- 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan optional
- 1 cup starchy pasta water removed from the water you cook the shells in
Instructions
Vegan Carrot Pesto
- To a food processor add carrots, cashews, oregano, lemon juice, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast. (Or use a hand blender, or crush manually with a mortal and pestle.
- Add olive oil and water until desire consistency is achieved.
- Continue to blend with food processor or hand mixer (or with pestle and mortar).
- Taste and add more salt, lemon juice and/or nutritional yeast if desired and mix.
- Set aside until shells are ready to stuff.
Vegan Ricotta
- Drain 1 package of tofu and crumble into a bowl.
- Add 1 block of soft cashew cheese (I used 200 gram package of Spread Em The Big Smoke Cashew Cheeze Block) and mix until combined.
- Add salt and garlic powder and mix.
Carrot Pesto & Vegan Ricotta Shells
- Cook pasta shells according to package until al dente. Once cooked and before straining the shells, save a cup or so of the starchy pasta water.
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Coat two 13 X 9 inch lasagna pans with a thin layer of starchy pasta water, along with 2 Tbsps of the carrot pesto. Spread it to coat the bottom of your pans.
- Stuff each pasta shell with the vegan ricotta and pesto and place in pans without overlapping. (approximately 12 large shells per pan, 24 in total).
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Place in oven uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh oregano or thyme and sprinkle with vegan parmesan!