Vegan Tempeh Stuffed Buffalo Shells

🥣 How to Make Vegan Shells

Buffalo Sauce

This warming dish starts with the sauce. Here is what you will need:

• Cashews – Soaked raw cashews make the base of this sauce, bringing creaminess and richness.
• Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy flavor and umami.
• Lime juice – To add tanginess. You can also use white vinegar if you don’t have lime on hand.
• Buffalo sauce – Use Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce or make your own by checking the link below!
• Butter – Vegan butter adds richness and a delicious buttery flavor.
• Maple syrup – To balance with the spiciness of the buffalo sauce. You can also use coconut sugar or brown sugar.
• Onion and garlic – I went with fresh garlic and onion powder here. If you don’t have onion powder, sauté 1/2 onion before adding it to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.

Have you ever tried to make your own buffalo sauce? If you are up for a small challenge, check out this Homemade Buffalo Sauce from Scratch recipe! It’s super fun to make and just as delicious, if not better, than store-bought buffalo sauce!

To make the sauce:

1. Blend the soaked cashews with nutritional yeast and water.
2. Reserve about 1/3 cup of the cashew sauce, and add the lime juice and salt to create a simple cream cheese. Set aside; we will use it to top the shells later.
3. Next, to the rest of the cashew sauce, add the buffalo sauce, vegan butter, maple syrup, garlic, onion, and smoked paprika for a smoky flavor. Blend until smooth, and you’re done with the sauce!

Tempeh

For the filling, scramble the tempeh and sauté with onions, garlic, ground chili, and soy sauce for a few minutes. We will use this meaty tempeh scramble to fill each shell.

To Assemble

1. Pour about 1 cup of the buffalo sauce into a baking dish or iron skillet.
2. Cook the pasta shells in boiling water according to the package instructions. The shells should be tender but al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Fill each shell with about one tablespoon of the tempeh scramble and arrange them in the baking dish or skillet.
4. Top each shell with a teaspoon of the reserved cashew cream cheese.
5. Pour in the remaining buffalo sauce over the shells and bake for about 20 minutes.
6. Place under the broiler for a few minutes or until the cashew sauce is golden brown and the shells slightly crispy.
7. Top with chopped cilantro, and enjoy!

📔 Tips

• You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta shells.
• Do not overcook the pasta shells; you want to cook them until just al dente as they will cook a bit more in the oven.
• As with most pasta dishes, these stuffed shells are best served on the same day.

🫕 More Hearty Dishes

• Tempeh & Pesto Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Vegan Cheese Fondue
• Easy Vegetable Macaroni Soup
• Celery Root & Cauliflower Purée

Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

Update November 2022: Recipe, photos, and post have been improved.