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Non-Dairy Cheeses and the Benefits

I discovered non-dairy ricotta cheese due to lactose intolerance in my family. Lactose causes her to have a lot of discomfort and even thought she loves ricotta, it just wasn’t worth the trouble of enjoying the flavor. I made this dairy free ricotta from coconut flour, therefore; it does not contain lactose.

It was not a bad thing to sacrifice the rich and creamy ricotta cheese, because although I love ricotta cheese, I was able to cut some calories as well.

Prior to developing this recipe, I experimented with tofu as a low-fat alternative to cheese. However, although tofu cheese is very easy to make, some of my family must be careful with soy.

Coconut Flour, Just the Right Texture

This coconut flour “ricotta” is delicious and is just the right texture to mimic real ricotta cheese. Also, I love that it is not so heavy on my stomach as the real cheese.

This recipe made two 9×13 pans of shells, so my family had dinner for a few days afterward. but the recipe could easily be cut in two.

How to Make It

First, bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta shells.

Meanwhile, for the cheese, start with 1 ¼ cup of coconut flour:

Coconut flour is very absorbent, so you will need at least the same amount of water to moisten it. However, you may need to add more water.

Add a little water at a time, until the texture is not dry but not soggy either.

Once the texture resembles a thick ricotta cheese, add the non-dairy mozzarella (you can leave this out if you wish), the garlic, and the seasonings, mixing it well into the ricotta “cheese”.

Mix in one cup of the tomato sauce.
(The tomato sauce and garlic will cover most of the coconut flavor but add more if needed).

Once the shells are finished boiling, let them cool for a while in a colander.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two 9×13 pans.

Add about half of the remaining tomato sauce to the bottom of the dishes.

Fill the shells with the cheese mixture and place them evenly in the pans. Top with the remaining tomato sauce.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Pasta Shells with Non-Dairy “Ricotta” Cheese

If you love Italian cuisine but have problems with milk or lactose, this non-dairy ricotta cheese has a very similar texture to that of real ricotta. It is made with coconut flour.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup coconut flour
1 ¼ cup water
16 ounces Jumbo pasta shells
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or a mixture of dried oregano, basil, parsley) to taste
1 cup non-dairy mozzarella (totally optional)
28 ounces tomato sauce (more if desired)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Boil the jumbo shells for 9 minutes, then drain and cool in a colander.
Meanwhile, put the coconut flour in a large bowl and slowly add the water, mixing well. If it is dry, add more water as needed. A spoon worked much better than the whisk.
Add the garlic cloves, Italian seasoning, and non-dairy mozzarella.
Mix in one cup of the tomato sauce. (The tomato sauce and garlic will cover most of the coconut flavor but add more if needed).
Grease two 9” x 13” baking dishes. Spray with cooking spray and add half of the remaining tomato sauce. Fill each cooked shell with a tablespoon of the “ricotta” cheese mixture. Top the shells with the remaining tomato sauce and salt and pepper.
Bake the shells at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.