Quick post, which you’ll probably appreciate since I’ve been rather long winded as of late!

Last night Stewart and I had stuffed shells, which is only slightly more complicated to make than pasta, but is a lot more interesting (and looks more impressive!). If you want to get even fancier, you could pick up some manicotti and fill them using a piping bag.

All this meal takes is a basic pasta sauce, some jumbo shells, and some easy tofu ricotta. I changed the tofu ricotta recipe slightly, and possibly for the better. After I crumbled the tofu, I squeezed at much water out of it as I could and replaced it with some soy creamer. It really helped the tofu ricotta taste much richer, and I’d do it every time if soy creamer was something I kept stocked in the fridge. If you happen to have some on hand, add it and see how you like it. If not, don’t worry about it!

The tofu ricotta can easily be made in advance, but I threw it together while the shells were boiling. (In fact, the whole meal could be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to toss it in the oven.) Whenever the shells, sauce, and ricotta are ready, place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a shallow casserole dish. Drain the shells gently, or they’ll rip! I used a slotted spoon to remove them from the water since I was nervous about it.

Using a spoon, fill each shell with ricotta and place in your casserole dish. When all the shells are all in, cover with the rest of the sauce and bake at 350º for about 20 minutes, or until bubbly and hot. I found that five or six shells was a good serving size for one person when also serving a salad and some fresh bread.