Tuna Stuffed Shells

[Juliebove]

I bought some shells for stuffing and then realized I didn't know what to do with them. I was talking to someone who said she was going to make some stuffed with salmon and served with a cream sauce. We don't like salmon and can't have cream sauce so I came up with this. Now I didn't measure everything exactly, but it is a very forgiving recipe. You can add stuff or use less and it will still come out okay.

Start by boiling a package of Tinkyada large shells for 17 minutes, then put cold water over (change it a few times to cool) to stop the cooking.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce and filling.

For the sauce, use a large white onion, 6 stalks of celery and 4 handfuls of mushrooms. Clean and cut into whatever size you need to, to fit in your food processor. Pulse a few times to chop, then process into a fairly smooth paste.

Coat a large skillet with some light olive oil (or the oil of your choice) and add the sauce. Cook until the vegetables are tender, then if too thick, add some plain rice milk, a small amount at a time until you have the texture you want. Now sometimes when you do this, more water will seep out of the veggies and you'll have to add a small amount of sweet rice flour to thicken it up again. I didn't have to do that tonight. Season with a bit of salt, pepper and parsley. When you have the desired consistancy, turn off the heat.

For the filling, mix two large pouches of tuna and about 8 slices of vegan rice cheese. Use a fork to break up the cheese. Add about 8 oz. of frozen peas, a few shakes of Herbamare seasoning and a bit of parsley. Mix well.

Now take a 2 quart casserole and cover the bottom with a bit of the sauce to prevent sticking. Add a layer of your shells, open sides up, and allowing a bit of room between each because they can expand while baking. I used a long handled ice tea spoon for filling, putting about two spoonfuls in each shell. When filled, add another layer of shells, and fill. Keep doing this until all the shells are filled. Then top with your sauce, cover and bake at 350 for about a half an hour or until heated through.

I think this recipe would also work well with cooked chopped chicken, turkey or ham, but you'd want to change the seasonings with ham because Herbamare contains salt.