Tuscan Stuffed Pasta Shells (Vegan)

From J.M. Hirsch's Venturesome Vegetarian Cooking. Thyme was replaced with fresh oregano; eggplant replaced with zucchini. You'll notice there's another interesting herb added to this recipe... Note: for dairy version, switch out ricotta cheese or cottage cheese for the tofu and add some shredded mozzarella, parmenan, asiago, etc.- (about 3/4 cup cheese).

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3  medium zucchini, unpeeled
• 16 -20  large pasta shells (suitable for stuffing)
• 1  lb firm tofu
• 1⁄4 cup kalamata olive, finely diced
• 2  tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely minced
• 2  tablespoons  fresh  lavender leaves, finely minced
• 1  tablespoon  fresh Greek oregano, finely minced
• 5  sun-dried tomatoes, diced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 2  cups  pasta sauce

Directions

1. Grate the zucchini and set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the shells until al dente, approximately 6-8 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Place the grated zucchini in a large mixing bowl. Crumble the tofu and add to the bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for the olive oil and pasta sauce. Mix well.
6. Coat a 13"x 9" baking dish with olive oil.
7. Fill each pasta shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the zucchini-tofu filling.
8. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the prepared baking dish.
9. Pour the pasta sauce over the top, allowing some of the sauce to dribble to the bottom of the baking dish.
10. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes.
11. Remove aluminum foil last 5 minutes of baking.
12. Serve hot.