I hope your garden is bursting with basil because you will want to be making this dish more than once! The simple pesto sauce is so delicious and versatile! Try it in other dishes as:
- a pizza sauce for a healthy veggie pizza
- a dip for crudité and crusty bread
- tossed with zucchini noodles for a healthy raw vegan pasta
- drizzled over roasted vegetables
- tossed in a salad with a little balsamic for a hearty dinner salad
What is you favorite way to eat pesto?
Pesto & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Rachel Carr
Serves: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
Pesto
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 cups basil leaves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup olive oil + more to thin
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup water
Cashew Ricotta
- 2 cups cashews, soaked
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup water + more as needed
For the shells
- 15 jumbo shells
- a few basil leaves basil as garnish
Instructions
- For the pesto, place all the ingredients in the blender and purée until smooth.
- For the cashew ricotta, soak the cashews for at least 2 hours and then drain and rinse. Place the cashews in a food processor and add the nutritional yeast, sea salt and lemon. Purée until a ricotta like texture is achieved, adding water as needed to help “loosen” the mixture.
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add the jumbo shells to the water. Cook for 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the shells from becoming overcooked.
- Stuff each shell with 1 tablespoon of cashew ricotta and set aside until ready to cook.
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
- In an oven proof dish, spread a layer of the pesto sauce and place the jumbo shells on top. Spread some more pesto on top of the shells. Cover with a lid or some aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with more fresh basil.
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