Kale- & Allium-Stuffed Jumbo Shells (first try at vegan cheese)

You love ravioli...but...what if you don't love to make it from scratch every time. What if...you don't love to make it from scratch at all.

And store-bought ravioli is simply...out of the question.

Store-bought, hand-made, gourmet ravioli? Where did you find these? And were they good?

Regardless...

There is a way to have ravioli...without the ravioli.

Introducing, welcoming  - drum roll - the Jumbo Shells.

They are giant. They are dry. And they come clean and easy...in a box.

You boil them, stuff them with the goodies of your choice (today's choice: kale, alliums, vegan cheese), and then slowly whisper "let there be ravioli."

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Feeds four

Ingredients:

15 jumbo shells, cooked according to package instructions

1 large bunch kale, leaves torn from the stalks by hand 

1 small-sized yellow onion, thinly sliced

8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil

1 canned whole or diced tomatoes

4 "grates" of whole nutmeg

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 handfuls of vegan cheese (2 handfuls cheddar style, 2 handfuls mozzarella style) (I used Daiya)

Creative steps:

Bring water to a boil and cook the jumbo shells according to package instructions, usually about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling.

In a pan over medium heat, sauté the yellow onion with olive oil for one minute and then add the garlic and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until translucent and fragrant. Take care not to burn the garlic. Add the kale and nutmeg and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the kale wilts slightly; try to find the middle state between too chewy and completely wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste, remove pan from the heat, and then mix in 1/2 of the vegan cheese (1 handful cheddar style, 1 handful mozzarella style).

When the jumbo shells are done cooking, drain them in a colander, rinse them with cold water briefly, and let the excess water seep through the colander. Stuff the kale into the shells immediately, before the shells start to dry out.

In a large baking pan, dump the can of tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, use a spatula to break apart each whole tomato. Add 2-3 pinches of salt, a few turns of black pepper, and 2-3 pinches of dried mixed herbs. Tuck each stuffed jumbo shell in the tomato mixture, three shells per row, for a total of five rows. Sprinkle in the remaining vegan cheese. Bake in the oven at 400 degree F for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes start bubbling and the vegan cheese melts.

Eat mindfully and ENJOY.

P.S. A little, but much deserved, praise for the vegan cheese: it was good - tasty to the taste buds and light to the tummy. It is essential, however, that the "cheese" melts, and so leftovers need to be reheated before consumption.