Ingredients
“Meat” Filling:
1 lb frozen and thawed tofu, pressed of all excess water
1/4 c. neutral oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1 zucchini, diced small
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
Pesto “Ricotta” topping:
2 cups packed fresh basil
1 1/2 c. raw cashews
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup lemon juice (or juice of one fresh lemon)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp salt (or more, to taste, it should be decently salty)
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 c. vegan mozzarella shreds
3-4 red bell peppers Additional basil leaves, for garnish, optional
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine all the cheese sauce ingredients into a high powered blender, except the mozzarella shreds, and blend on high. Then mix in the mozzarella. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the meat filling ingredients from oil through onion powder and mix well. After squeezing out the water from the tofu, crumble it into the liquid and mix well. The liquid should be completely absorbed.
Spread onto a large baking sheet (the crumbles should be spread thin, not in a big pile) and bake for 25 minutes. When it’s done, increase the oven temp to 425 F.
Saute the zucchini in olive oil. When it’s browned, add in 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce, preserving the rest for later. Add the oregano, thyme, and tofu crumbles. Stir to combine and set aside.
Cut the red bell peppers in half and remove seeds and pith from the center.
Spread a thin layer of the remaining tomato sauce on the bottom of a large casserole dish. Place the red bell peppers inside, cut side up.
Fill with an equal amount of meat filling. Then top with Pesto Ricotta. Bake for 20 minutes. When finished, garnish with additional basil, if desired.
