Baked Shells with Vegan Roasted Eggplant Ricotta

I think it's no surprise that we love pasta here on Kitchen Grrrls. In all of its shapes and sizes!!

Pasta shells are no exception.

While this dish looks like a lot of work, it really isn't that bad. You'll be surprised.

Baked Shells with Roasted Eggplant Ricotta

adapted from Vegan Yumminess

Ingredients

1 large eggplant, cut in half lengthwise

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

21 oz extra firm tofu

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup water

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

pepper, to taste

1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp dried basil

20 jumbo pasta shells

your fave pasta sauce

Directions

Generously sprinkle eggplant with salt. Leave cut side up for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F near 22 minutes.

Squeeze eggplant over the sink to remove the water that has been pulled from it.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat eggplant with olive oil. Place eggplant on baking sheet, cut side down.

Bake eggplant for 40-45 minutes or until mushy.

While eggplant is baking, cook pasta shells. Fry garlic and onion in a small pan until translucent, roughly 5 minutes.

Crumble tofu into a blender with your hands. Add cahsews and water. Blend on high until smooth.

Pour blender contents into bowl. Add garlic, onion, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, and basil, mix well.

When the eggplant is done, scoop the contents of the skin into the bowl with the tofu mixture. Stir it up well.

Lay down some sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13" glass baking dish. 

Stuff the mixture into the shells and line the baking dish with the shells. Pour sauce over top.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 8-10 mins.