I love tofu stuffed shells, but I always thought they didn’t have enough moisture inside and weren’t chewy like those that are made with cheese. Topping the shells with vegan nutritional yeast “cheese” and use mushrooms (because they release water when cooked), were the perfect solutions because this way the shells won’t get dry and will be more soft inside.
One more note, I admit I not a big fan of nutritional yeast “cheese”, but in this recipes the flavor of the sauce and the shells blend completely, covering the flavor of the yeast, so to me this proportion is ideal. For the nutritional yeast lovers I recommend to double the quantities of the ingredients in the “cheese” sauce recipe.
Tofu and mushrooms stuffed shells topped with vegan cheese sauce
(serves two to three)
Stuffed shells
18 giant pasta shells
1 cup of tofu (250g)
4 medium white mushrooms
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
Chopped parsley, lemon juice and salt adjusted to your taste
“Cheese” Sauce
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon of white pepper
1 garlic, minced
Salt
Cook the shells according to package directions, until they are “al dente”. Drain the cooking water, add cold water and drain them again. This way the shells will not stick together in the pan while they are to be filled.
In a bowl, combine the mashed tofu, the mushrooms cut into tiny strips, the dried oregano, black pepper, lemon juice, salt, parsley and other herbs of your choice. Mix everything well, this filling will leave the shells well filled. Stuff the shells with the tofu mixture and place them in a pyrex dish (or other pan that can go to the oven) with olive oil at the bottom.
Bake the stuffed shells in the oven for 20 minutes at a temperature of 175 ° C (350ºF), with the container covered with aluminum foil.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Mix all the ingredients in a small pan and bring it to boil, stirring constantly. When it starts to boil and thickens, remove from the heat and spread the sauce over the shells. Let them in the oven more 10 minutes and serve them accompanied of a salad.
(duas a três doses) Molho de “queijo” Coza as conchas de acordo com as instruções do pacote, até estarem “al dente”. Escorra a água da cozedura, adicione água fria e escorra-as de novo. Desta forma elas não se vão colar enquanto estão na panela para serem recheadas.
(Portuguese version)
Conchas recheadas de tofu e cogumelos cobertas com molho de queijo vegano
Conchas recheadas
18 conchas gigantes
1 chávena de tofu (250g)
4 cogumelos brancos médios
1 colher de chá de orégãos
¼ colher de chá de pimenta preta
Salsa, sumo de limão e sal a gosto
2 colheres de sopa de levedura de cerveja
2 colheres de sopa de farinha para usos culinários
8 colheres de sopa de água
1 colher de sopa de azeite
1 colher de chá de mostarda Dijon
¼ colher de chá de pimenta branca
1 alho picado
Sal
Numa taça, desfaça o tofu (não precisa de ficar muito triturado), corte os cogumelos em tiras pequeninas e junte-lhes os orégãos secos, a pimenta preta, o sumo de limão, o sal, a salsa picada e outras ervas aromáticas que preferir. Misture tudo bem, este recheio é o suficiente para deixar as conchas bem cheias. Coloque o recheio de tofu nas 18 conchas e assim que as vai recheando, coloque-as num recipiente de pirex ou outro próprio de ir ao forno, com azeite no fundo para as conchas não se colarem.
Leve-as ao forno durante 20 minutos a 175ºC, e o recipiente coberto com uma folha de alumínio.
Entretanto, faça o molho. Misture todos os ingredientes numa panela e leve-a ao lume, mexendo sempre. Quando começar a ferver e a engrossar retire do lume e espalhe o molho por cima das conchas. Volte a levá-las ao forno mais 10 minutos e sirva as conchas acompanhadas de uma salada ou legumes cozidos.
