Cashew Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I love cheese. I mean. . I LOVE cheese. That creamy, smooth, melty texture in your mouth. . .it's amazing. So what's a girl to do when she's giving up cheese? (or at least trying very hard too) Time to make her own!!!

The process started with researching what others had done, and finally culminated in experimenting with my own.

The flavor of this cashew ricotta is amazing. Slightly nutty and creamy. . . and somehow melty when warm - even though it's made of nuts. My sister who is a trained chef tasted it and did not know it was cashews. . . she thought she was tasting actual ricotta. A co-worker also commented on how good the shells were, and she also was surprised that there was no dairy in them at all.

So here's the recipe. Enjoy!


Cashew Ricotta Stuffed Shells

ingredients for the basic ricotta

1 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (i like braggs. . it's slightly sweet)
1/4 teaspoon salt

method for basic ricotta

soak raw cashews in enough water to cover them by one inch for 24 hours. drain liquid from cashews reserving some for adding to ricotta while processing. in a food processor puree the cashews with the olive oil, vinegar and salt. scrape sides as needed. add reserved water for desired consistency.

now you have your basic ricotta!!! onto the shells. . .save this recipe. . i will refer to it for making other things in the future.

Making the Shells

ingredients

1 recipe of cashew ricotta
1/4 cup frozen spinach thawed, drained, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
1/4 cup vidalia onion chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon basil

12-16 large pasta shells cooking according to directions
1 jar of your favorite vegan friendly tomato sauce

saute the mushrooms and onions. mix ricotta with spices, herbs, spinach, onions and mushrooms. stuff approximately 2 tablespoons of ricotta in each shell. pour a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a small baking dish and arrange shells on to. pour on more sauce. cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. you can also microwave the shells individually covered in sauce in a microwave safe dish for 3-5 minutes until warmed through.

i took pictures of the shells during and after the process. but i am missing my sd card transfer portal at the moment. so i will post pictures later. meanwhile i am endulging myself in cheesy yumminess.