Spinach, Ricotta & Mozzarella Conchiglie.
Whilst i would happily make this any night of the week, I think most ‘normal’ people would probably call this a weekend recipe as it’s uses a good few pans and, if you’re making my vegan ‘melted mozzarella’ recipe too, it’ll take around 75-90 mins in total. BUT it’s totally worth it, and makes excellent leftovers too!
This recipe makes a big batch - you’ll either need 2 smaller oven dishes, or one large one. Alternatively, you could stack the conchiglie in 2 layers.
Serves 6-8
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
blender
kettle
2 large saucepans
1 large oven-proof dish, or 2 smaller ones
colander
sieve
Ingredients.
300g conchiglie pasta
260g baby spinach, washed and roughly chopped
200g plant-based mozzarella, or 1 batch of this ‘melted mozzarella’
Tomato Sauce
800g tinned peeled plum tomatoes, or chopped tomatoes/passata
3-4 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram, optional – you could also use some dried/fresh basil
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Tofu Ricotta
100g macadamia/cashew nuts
280g extra-firm tofu, drained
20g nutritional yeast
½ tsp garlic granules
½ tsp onion granules
½ tsp miso paste
Roughly ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or ground
Juice of a whole lemon
1 tsp salt
150ml plant milk, to help blend – you may not need it all
Method.
Preheat the oven to 220c (fan). Ideally on an oven setting that heats from the top. If not, just note that it may take an extras 5-10mins to brown the ‘cheese’
Boil the kettle and soak the nuts in boiling water
Make the tomato sauce: sauté the garlic cloves in olive oil for 2 mins on medium heat, add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low for around 20 mins or until needed. It helps to crush the peeled plum tomatoes in your hands first to break them up
Boil the pasta in salted water until al-dente. Usually about 30seconds less than the packet suggests
Meanwhile, make the tofu ricotta: Drain the nuts and add to a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until super smooth and then set aside
Drain the pasta leave in the colander to cool a little, just so it’s easier to handle
Rinse out the pasta saucepan and add the spinach to the dry pan. Turn up to a medium-high heat and cook until wilted. If necessary, drain away any excess water once wilted
Add the tofu ricotta to the spinach and stir to combine
Add half the tomato sauce to the bottom of your oven dish. Fill the pasta shells with the spinach & ricotta filling one at a time and lay them in the tomato sauce. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and put in the oven for 20 mins
After 10 mins, take the pasta out the oven and top with the vegan mozzarella. Return to the oven for the remaining 10 mins or until golden and bubbling on top. Serve immediately
