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.

Similar Foods

• Vegan Butternut Squash Zuppa Toscana
• Stuffed Turkey Breasts with Butternut Squash and Figs
• Creamy Vegan Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash
• Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash