Vegan Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Why you’ll love these Vegan Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Fall comfort food: Giant pasta shells get stuffed in a cheesy pumpkin filling, topped with a creamy white sauce, and then baked in the oven. It’s the epitome of comfort food for cold weather and pumpkin season! Texture, texture, texture! The contrast of the chewy baked shells with the creamy filling and sauce is so good you won’t be able to put your fork down! This is one of my favorite secret tofu recipes – most people would never suspect it’s an ingredient! Crowd pleasing holiday dish. I have made this for two Thanksgiving dinners, one Christmas dinner, and one fall dinner party, and this dish is always a hit. It usually gets the “I can’t believe this is vegan” line, and according to many of you, the results are the exact same in your homes :) Surprisingly easy. Despite this being a crowd pleasing and impressive dish fancy enough for the holidays, it’s actually quite easy to assemble and make. If you watch the video down below or on Youtube, you’ll be able to see that it’s really easy and doesn’t require any special cooking skills.

Watch! How to make Vegan Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells.

Ingredients + Methods for this Recipe

Jumbo Pasta Shells

You can find jumbo pasta shells at many grocery stores (though not all). I’ve found them at Whole Foods, Vons, and Ralphs, as well as stores like Target and Walmart. The large shell size, in combination with the decadent filling and sauce, mean that just a few shells will satisfy your cravings! Cook the shells in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente. When the shells are done cooking, drain them and toss them with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking and drying out.

Pumpkin Ricotta Filling

This filling is so tasty yet so easy to make and comes together in less than 10 minutes. It starts with my homemade vegan tofu ricotta cheese. I use a variation of this cheeze in a number of my recipes, from lasagna to savory tarts. The tofu ricotta requires extra firm tofu, nutritional yeast, and a few dried herbs and seasonings to achieve the traditional texture of traditional ricotta. The nice thing about it is you don’t have to press the tofu – you just need to pat dry excess water before crumbling it up. The other nice thing is that the food processor does all the work for you. All you do is add the ingredients to a food processor and pulse repeatedly until slightly smooth but still a little chunky. Traditional ricotta is fairly bland in taste, but my vegan version is so flavorful that you’ll want to eat it on its own! (many readers do just this). Then, the tofu ricotta gets folded into a pumpkin filling, which features canned pumpkin purée, freshly grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, and vegan parmesan cheese for that extra cheesy goodness. The pumpkin and nutmeg bring a slightly sweet and slightly earthy flair that is irresistible! The slightly sweet yet spicy aroma of freshly grated nutmeg will truly delight your taste buds, so please don’t skip this step! Looking for tips on how to make tofu taste AMAZING? Check out my comprehensive guide to cooking tofu.

Garlic Béchamel Sauce

The final component of this delicious dish is the creamy garlic white sauce. I’ve made my fair share of plant-based white sauces, and this recipe is by far my favorite. It’s so creamy and flavorful that you can eat it by the spoon. You know a dish is going to be amazing when you can eat two of the components by the spoon. Start off by cooking some onions in extra virgin olive oil until nicely softened and lightly browned, then add the garlic until very fragrant. The cooked onions and garlic are what take this sauce from an ordinary Béchamel sauce to an extremely flavorful, garlicky Béchamel sauce. After they are done cooking, you’ll add all-purpose flour and stir to incorporate, similar to making a roux. And then to make this white sauce super creamy without using dairy-based milk or cream, I use canned “lite” coconut milk. It’s creamy enough to make this sauce luxurious and decadent, but light enough that the sauce won’t turn out too heavy or thick. The flour will help thicken the sauce very quickly, and it should take just 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender, add salt and pepper, and blend until smooth and creamy! Keep in mind that if you taste this sauce before blending, it will taste quite coconutty. But, once you add the salt and pepper and blend it up in a blender until creamy, I promise it loses that coconut taste! To assemble the dish, pour about 1/2 cup of the Béchamel sauce onto the bottom of a 13×9-inch (33×23 cm) rectangular pan (a 3 liter pan). Stuff 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin ricotta filling into each jumbo shell. Arrange the stuffed shells on top of the sauce. Then drizzle the remaining sauce on top of the shells. Finally, scatter some chopped sage leaves on top for that earthy, woodsy perfect-for-fall flavor! Bake in the oven at 350°F (or 175°C) for 25 minutes until the shells are lightly golden!

Tips for making this recipe

Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until just al dente.

I always recommend cooking pasta in well-salted water because that’s what will bring some flavor to the pasta. Obviously, the filling and sauce will have lots of flavor, but you want every little bite to be well seasoned, even the parts of the pasta that don’t have filling. Also, don’t cook the shells past the al dente stage – they should still have a bit of bite to them. Since the stuffed shells will get baked in the oven for a bit, you definitely don’t want them to be too soft, or else the end dish could be a bit mushy.

Use freshly grated nutmeg.

I know I sound like a bougie food snob channeling her inner Ina Garten when I say this, but freshly grated nutmeg really does make a big difference and adds so much more depth and intensity of flavor compared to pre-ground nutmeg. Plus, fresh nutmeg pods have an excellent shelf life when stored properly, about 3-4 years, so it’s an inexpensive purchase compared to ground nutmeg, which will lose its potency much quicker.

Don’t overbake the stuffed shells.

The shells will start to dry out if they’re baked too long, so keep an eye on them and use an oven thermometer if you have one!

Same goes for reheating.

Reheat leftover shells in a low oven, about 300ºF/150ºC for 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through. When reheated at 350ºF/175ºC, the edges of the shells dry out.

Serve as a main or a side dish.

Since this dish is so creamy and indulgent, I often serve it as a side dish for a crowd. But, it’s also so delicious that many people prefer it as a main dish (my dinner party guests certainly do!). However you serve it, I guarantee that your guests will never know it’s vegan and/or will be very pleased.

How to make this recipe ahead of time

You can make pumpkin ricotta filling 1-3 days in advance. You can also make the garlic béchamel sauce a day or two in advance. Then, on the day of serving, you can (1) cook the shells, (2) stuff the shells with the pumpkin ricotta filling, and (3) bake the dish. To save even more time on the big day, you can even stuff the cooked pasta shells in advance and store them in the fridge 1 day ahead of time. Then on the day of cooking, pour some béchamel sauce on the bottom of the pan, arrange the shells on top, and bring to room temperature. Then bake as directed in the recipe card.

How to make homemade pumpkin puree

If you can’t find canned pumpkin puree, you can make your own pumpkin puree using fresh pumpkin!

More Fantastic Pumpkin Recipes

Thai Pumpkin Soup: creamy texture, warm spices, gourmet Thai flavor Pumpkin Pancakes: wholesome yet indulgent, a perfect fall breakfast Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette: an Indian-inspired curry packed with protein and fiber. Pumpkin Bread: moist, tender, and even fluffy with so much pumpkin spice flavor!

Looking for the the gourmet upgrade from my 2023 YouTube video featuring an herb-infused garlic béchamel sauce, caramelized leeks, and fried sage? Check out the second recipe card below! If you give this Vegan Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!