Spinach and ricotta pasta shells

These spinach & vegan ricotta stuffed pasta shells are the ultimate self-love meal, in my opinion. Whilst they make take a little while to make, the process is super fun AND the result is so worth it (trust me).

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Tomato sauce:
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups crushed tinned tomatoes
- 1 + 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- salt and pepper (to taste)

Cashew ricotta:
- 1 cup raw cashews, boiled for 15 minutes in steady boiling water, drained and rinsed
- 100g firm tofu
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp vegetable stock powder
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- water (to desired consistency, at least 1/3 cup)
- salt and pepper (to taste)

As well as:
- 250g large pasta shells
- 200g frozen spinach, defrosted

Method:
1. Heat a large pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Add olive oil and brown onion, fry for 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue frying for a further 2-3 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well, then reduce the heat to low and leave to slowly cook for 30 minutes.
3. Add boiled cashews, as well as the rest of the cashew ricotta ingredients, to a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding more water if required.
4. Place large pasta shells into a pot of boiling water and boil until al dente. At this stage, preheat the oven to 180°c fan-forced and prepare 1-2 large baking dishes.
5. Add defrosted spinach to cashew ricotta mixture and mix well. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse to cool down slightly.
6. Transfer the tomato sauce to the baking dish/es. Using a spoon, carefully fill each large cooked pasta shell with the cashew ricotta and spinach mixture. Repeat until you have used all of the pasta shells (if you have leftover cashew ricotta, you can store this in the fridge for up to 5 days).
7. Place the filled pasta shells into the tomato sauce in the baking dish. Sprinkle with extra nutritional yeast, if desired. Place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven, serving hot. Enjoy!