Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• Squash

  Winter, butternut, raw

  1 cup, cubes or 140g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Shells

  Jumbo - Meijer

  1 pkg dry or 335g

• Cashew nuts

  Nuts, raw

  1 cup or 137g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  1 cup or 237g

• Garlic

  Raw

  1 clove or 3g

• Lemon juice

  Raw

  3 tbsp or 45g

• Salt

  Table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 dash or 0.1g

• Spinach

  Raw

  4 cup or 120g

• Tofu

  Raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate

  1 cup or 252g

• Oregano

  Spices, dried

  1 tsp, leaves or 1g

• Lemon zest

  ½ tsp or 1g

• Crushed red pepper flakes

  ¼ tsp or 0.08g

Directions

1. Soak cashews in water 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, then drain and rinse.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel and cube butternut squash. Toss the butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Make the cashew cream: Blend together the drained raw cashews, fresh water, garlic, lemon juice, and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
4. Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the spinach in increments, along with a pinch of salt, and sauté until all the spinach is incorporated and wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid and chop. In a medium bowl, combine the the spinach with the crumbled tofu, oregano, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup of cashew cream. Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the jumbo pasta shells and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain.
6. Assemble the shells. Spread ¼ cup of the reserved cashew cream on the bottom of an 11x7-inch baking dish. Fill each shell with some of the filling and a few cubes of butternut squash, and place into the baking dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over the shells and bake for 15 minutes, or until browned on top and heated through. Remove from the oven and serve with the remaining cashew cream.

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