"Indulge" With Dairy-Free Spinach Stuffed Shells

I can pack away some serious stuffed shells. Cheesy, warm and delicious, stuffed shells are the ultimate comfort food out there in my opinion. Theyre also a great make-ahead dish for company. Whose eyes dont widen when they see a huge pan of shells coming out of the oven?

Lately though, Ive been really wanting to experiment with a lighter variation, a vegan version. Call me crazy, but I wanted to see if it was possibly to cut the cholesterol but not lose any of the flavor. Guess what? It worked.

In this dairy-free version, I use a blend of tofu, olive oil, garlic and nutritional yeast as the ricotta filling and I swear you wont be able to tell the difference! These vegan stuffed shells are still so incredibly cheesy and filling, youll swear this is the traditional cheese-laden version. But dont believe me, believe my barbecue-loving boyfriend who ate an entire plateful of these shells without noticing a hint of a difference. When I asked him how dinner was, a huge smile grew on his face as he told me it was absolutely delicious and, were there seconds?

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Jenna Weber is half of the Fresh Tastes blog team. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in 2008 and, since then, has worked as a pastry chef, bread baker and freelance food editor. Currently, Jenna blogs full-time on EatLiveRun.com where her delicious daily recipes and quirky culinary musings appeal to thousands. She lives in Northern California and, when not in the kitchen, can usually be found on her yoga mat.