Surprisingly simple Spinach Stuffed Shells
You probably wonder how people come up with new recipes. For me, it begins at the gym. I spend about 20-30 minutes on the rowing machine, a boring exercise that uses very few brain cells. (But is very good for your brain cells, as is any exercise.)
While I'm rowing, I'm usually planning my grocery list, which means I plan my menu for the evening as well. The other day I decided I absolutely had to use the pasta shells I'd had for a while, and the bag of spinach I'd only had one day. I'd stuff the shells with a spinach mixture, I decided, setting aside any thoughts of using the artichoke hearts from the jar in my fridge.
Within the space of a few hundred meters, I'd come up with the basic outlines of a recipe, which turns out to be quite simple. Although I'd never stuffed shells before, they turned out to be surprisingly easy to fill with the spinach-laced stuffing. You simply hold the shells in your palm, long ways, and squeeze them gently like a coin purse. They open up for stuffing, then snap back to close around the filling. Fun!
A food processor is a great tool to have, too, but you could probably use a blender. Or in a pinch, mash the ingredients with a fork. To save time, I used a jar of prepared pasta sauce, but you can use your own favorite recipe for pasta sauce if you wish. I came up with more shells than sauce, and ran out of room in the pan, so I used a second dish and opened another jar. This one will go into the freezer and be a perfect meal for a more harried day.
For instructions, keep reading.
Spinach Stuffed Shells
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 pound fresh spinach, loosely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt, to taste
black pepper, a few grinds from a pepper mill or shakes from a pepper shaker
8 ounces vegan cream cheese
1/2 lb Chinese-style tofu (found in the refrigerated section, packed in water)*
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 lb package of pasta shells
1 or 2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
2 cups vegan mozzarella cheese or other vegan white cheese, grated with a small size grater
Before you begin, heat salted water for the shells in a very large pot.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the shallots. After 3-4 minutes, add the spinach and the garlic. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of water, and add salt and pepper.
The spinach mixture will be done in a minute or two. Turn off the heat (if gas; remove from the burner if it's electric).
Place the spinach mixture in the large bowl of a food processor. Whiz for a second or two to finely chop. (Note: If you aren't using a food processor, try to chop it more finely before you saute it.) Add the cream cheese, crumbled tofu, and nutritional yeast and whiz again until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Meanwhile, you should be cooking the shells in the boiling water. Slightly undercook them (if the instructions suggest 12-14 minutes, cook them for 10 minutes.) Drain and run cold water over them to cool them just enough to handle.
Prepare a baking dish. (I used a 9" by 12" casserole dish, and ran out of room. So you may need a smaller dish as well, or use a larger dish.) Spray generously with cooking spray, then pour about a cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of the dish, spreading to cover the bottom.
Stuff the shells, holding them in one hand length-wise and squeezing until they open. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the filling into the shell and let the shell close around the filling. Place each shell into the prepared pan. When the pan is full, cover with the remaining pasta sauce.
Sprinkle with the vegan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. (It's a good idea to spray the foil with cooking spray to prevent the cheese from sticking to the top, especially if the pan is filled high.)
Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350F degree oven. You can also refrigerate the dish several hours and bake later, if your schedule prefers.
This makes a lot, enough for 6 people or more. It's even better the next day, warmed up in the oven.
