I miss cheese.

Of all the dairy products, cheese is the hardest one to truly let go of 100%. I still sneak bits and pieces here and there. I have a small breakout going on thanks to my reckless abandon. I had more than my fair share of mozzarella in the caprese quinoa. It doesn’t help that I can never say no to cheese on the Breakfast Jack at Jack in the Box. That Italian sub I had last week? Yeah, that had provolone on it. I had to try bite of the asiago cheese that Andrew bought. I’m about 50/50 in terms of whether it’s a conscious decision to eat the cheese. Sometimes I say screw it and eat it anyway since it’s a relatively small amount. Other times I just forget it even comes with it. If I remember halfway through a meal, I’ll usually just power through. I know I have no one to blame but myself. Sometimes my stomach likes to overpower my vanity.

When I originally saw this recipe I knew it had to happen. Stuffed pasta shells are definitely a weakness. Carbs and cheese. Well, “cheeze.” I know I can’t get away with cheating on a dish like this. My small breakout would likely turn into a large and awkward one in a few days. I like tofu well enough, so I was down to try a “ricotta” substitute. I’d make half for me with the “ricotta” then get the real for Andrew’s half. It worked like a champ! Honestly, I think I liked my filling better than the regular ricotta (because I had to cheat and have a bite for comparison’s sake!). Something about it had more flavor. I kept all things similar except I swapped out half of the tofu for ricotta. It cooks the same. It has relatively the same consistency. I even snuck one of the shells onto Andrew’s plate, and he didn’t even notice. I’d say that’s a win.

Regardless, there will be the addition of mushrooms and sausage next time. It needed a little something extra to give it some oomph. Ricotta, spinach, and garlic are only so flavorful.

Inspiration: Eat Live Run

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

8oz extra firm tofu

8oz whole milk ricotta

1.5 teaspoons salt, divided in half

1 teaspoon oregano, divided in half

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, divided in half

10oz frozen spinach, defrosted

1 box jumbo shells

1 jar pasta sauce

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta shells according to directions, draining when cooked. To make the tofu filling–place the tofu, half of the salt, oregano, and nutritional yeast, and one garlic clove into a food processor. Blend to desired consistency. Add half of the spinach. Pulse a few more times. Place in a separate bowl and set aside. If your cheese eater is a tofu hater, clean the bowl out. Otherwise continue on. To make the ricotta filling–place the ricotta,the remaining salt, oregano, and nutritional yeast, and the last garlic clove into the food processor. Blend to desired consistency. Add the remaining spinach. Pulse a few times. Add a cup of the sauce to the bottom of an 9×13″ baking dish. Using a tablespoon of filling, stuff each shell. Place them seam side down into the prepped baking dish. Once all of the noodles are stuffed, pour the remaining sauce on the noodles. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Top with parmesan if that’s your thing before you eat it. I did didn’t.