Mushroom Stuffed Pasta Shells

When I was young my dad would let us kids pick a restaurant to eat at on our birthdays. Eating out was something we didn't do often as an entire family since there were 7 kids who each had very different opinions on where we should eat. Someone would generally end up dissatisfied with the choice of restaurant and refuse anything and everything on the menu. But birthdays were an exception. My birthday restaurant of choice was Olive Garden, mainly because I was obsessed with their dinner mints, but I was also a pasta fiend. I loved tortellini and ravioli and all of the creamy sauces. Recently I have been plagued by a nostalgic craving for those creamy stuffed pastas. When I stumbled across this recipe I knew the encounter was fate and that resistance to carbs was futile. The sauce is sinfully creamy and the mushroom filling is simple yet irresistible. While I was waiting for the sauce to thicken I found myself scooping the filling out of the pan using a pasta shell for a spoon. Like I said before: resistance was futile. 

Recipe adapted from Vegan Yumminess

Yields about 4 servings
Ingredients:
Large pasta shells
Filling
2 1/2 cups mushrooms
1 cup of finely chopped onion
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 tbsp EVOL
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup of cashews
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp of fresh parsley (minced)
Sauce
1/4 yellow onion diced
1 glove of garlic (minced)
1 tsp EVOL
1 1/2 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup of cashews
1 cup of water
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed black pepper

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil with a dash of salt. Once water has reached a boil add in roughly 12 large pasta shells. Cook until softened.

Filling
1. While the pasta is cooking sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms for the stuffing in a saucepan with EVOL over medium heat until tender.
2. While the veggies are "tenderizing" blend cashews and water until the the creamy (approximately 3 minutes) **NOTE Use the best blender or food processor you have. The cashews need to be very finely ground or else your sauce will turn out lumpy and gritty.
3. Once the veggies are fully "tenderized" add the cashew sauce and stir.
4. Allow the veggies and cashew sauce to thicken over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and carefully spoon bits of filling into cooked pasta shells and gently roll the shell closed.
6. Set filled pasta shells aside.
Sauce
1. In a separate saucepan sauté the onions and garlic for the sauce in EVOL over medium heat for a minute or so.
2. In a high powered blender or food processor blend almond milk, water, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, flour, salt and pepper until creamy (approximately 3 minutes).
3. Pour sauce into the pan with the garlic and onion.
4. Whisk sauce over medium heat until it reaches a boil and thickens (approximately 5-7minutes).
5. Pour warm sauce over the stuffed shells and enjoy