Monday, March 15, 2010

Brandi's Italian Stuffed Shells


I'd been wanting to try out my best bloggie friend, Vivacious Vegan's "Italian Stuffed Shells" recipe.  And I did!  It was fun to make!  And easy!  Which surprised me because I've never fixed stuffed shells before.  The nice thing about this recipe is how you simply open up some of your favorite pantry standbys and layer everything together.  And disguising the tofu as ricotta is pure genius!  Why did I never prepare this before?!  I should do it again!  It was yummy!  I am excited to try out variations on the theme!  The possibilities are endless!  But I need a few vegan pointers.  So...  

How do you like to spice up a stuffed shells meal?  I want to hear your ideas!  

Thank you, Brandi, for the inspiration! 

22 comments:

Vegan Epicurean said...

Valerie,

I add quite a few things to the tofu to give it more flavor and a little flour to firm up the texture so it is more like cheese. You will find my ricotta recipe here:

http://veganepicurean.blogspot.com/2009/12/vegan-neapolitan-lasagna.html

Your version of Brandi's shells look great, btw.

Alicia

Anonymous said...

Mmm those are making me hungry!

The Voracious Vegan said...

Oooh WOW! That looks like an incredible meal. I love stuffed shells but I've never actually made them, can you believe that? Craziness! Must change that soon. Beautiful photos!

LeAnne said...

I've never made stuffed shells before. Definitely something to keep in mind. Thank you!

Julia said...

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Rose said...

Those shells look deliciously tasty! Looks like you played a blinder on your first go...well done!

crunchyveganwifelife said...

Thank you. Thank you Valerie! You are so sweet! I gave you some idea's to spice things up in these shells over on my blog, but the possibilities are truly endless. You could make southwestern shells next with black beans and rice too!!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

thanks for all your entries and the link back!

and the shells....yummmmmy! great job Valerie!

HiHoRosie said...

those stuffed shells really look delicious!

crunchyveganwifelife said...

http://vivaciousvegan-intentionalliving.blogspot.com/2010/02/italian-shells-and-salad.html


Valerie here is a direct link to my answer to your question.
If you still cannot get to it, I will just write it here...:)

Heather said...

Mmm...stuffed shells! I love stuffed shells, and it's great for entertaining because you can do everything ahead of time and then just pop them in the oven to bake when people come over :) I use the cashew ricotta recipe from Veganomicon and it works great for me.

radioactivegan said...

There is a really good recipe for tofu ricotta in 500 Vegan Recipes, if you can get your hands on that. It uses tofu and cashews, if I remember right. Stuffed shells are really great -- like lasagna, but faster :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Yours looks really good. I'm glad to have found it.

blessedmama said...

Yum! Tofu is so good for stuff like that. Glad to hear you discovered it. And what a great photo! I can never get mine close up like that.

dirtyduck said...

hey nice job, i need to branch out and use tofu in more ways like you guys, thanks for the inspiration, i thank brandi also if she was YOUR inspriration:)

ttyl
michelle and lil the dirty duck:)

crunchyveganwifelife said...

Have you tried tofu ricotta on pizza yet? It is amazing! I also use it as a buffer for my jalapeno poppers believe it or not! So good. You add some vegan cheese with the tofu ricotta, and some green chili's, then stuff it in the peppers and wrap it with a vegan bacon strip and bake it..so tasty!! You can sub morning star chicken for the cheese too....

blessedmama said...

Yipes, Valerie, I just read a comment you posted on my Pasta with a Kick on February 13th! Nothing like me staying on top of things. You wrote some very sweet things and asked a question. So, I've finally responded... Thanks again for stopping by!

vko said...

Looks super duper yummy! I too have yet to make tofu ricotta but will get to it soon...

crunchyveganwifelife said...

Helloooooo?
Echo
Echo
Echo......

HiHoRosie said...

yeah, where are you?

Serena said...

Ahh I love stuffed shells! I used to eat them with ricotta all the time! I didn't even think of using tofu as a substitute. Must try this. :)

Vegan Valerie said...

Thank you ladies for you sweet comments about my stuffed shells and for the new ideas as well. Of course, I got my inspiration for my good friend, Brandi. She's so creative and spunky! (You should visit her blog if you haven't already!) Thanks Vivacious! :)

And Blessed Mama, don't you worry about a thing! Oh and I've the greatest tip in the world for taking up-close pics for you... Find a button on your camera with a flower on it and press it. It is the "macro" button and it will allow you to take crisp, focused pictures of very small or close-up things. I LOVE the macro button! Try it out! You will see! :)

Gauri Radha गौरी राधा said...

Vegan pasta dishes are a perfect weeknight dinner, your Italian shells look delicious :-)