Stuffed Shells

The inspiration for this recipe came from Melissa d'Arabian's recipe. It sounded delicious and I love pasta so I decided I'd use mashed Great Northern Beans in place of the cottage cheese and just ignore the egg altogether. This was awesome!

Sauce:

• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• Freshly ground pepper

Shells:

• 1 12-ounce box jumbo pasta shells
• 8 ounces silken tofu, mashed
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and mashed
• 1/2 cup grated Veggie Topping Parmesan Cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Veggie Shreds, shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, zucchini, onion and celery and saute until soft but not brown, 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, oregano, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare the shells: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes; drain.

Drain most of the liquid from the beans and mash with a fork.

Mix the tofu, spinach, beans, parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella and garlic in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the dish.

Stuff the cheese mixture into the shells and place in the baking dish, open-side up.

Pour the remaining sauce over the shells.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes.

Let cool slightly before serving. Serve with a side salad and a glass of red wine. Enjoy!