stuffed pasta shells in butternut squash sauce
Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with creamy ricotta, fresh spinach, sage and walnuts nestled in a creamy butternut squash sauce.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Weeknight Dinners
Servings: 4
Author: the communal feast
- butternut squash sauce:
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 butternut squash cubed and peeled
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- For the filling:
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 cups spinach loosely packed
- 1 TBS fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- For the shells:
- 12 jumbo shells
- 10 fresh sage leaves for garnish
- fresh . parmesan for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and brush a 9 by 13" baking dish with olive oil. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the shells according to package directions and rinse under cold water when finished.
To make the filling: Bring olive oil to medium heat in a large pan and sautee spinach until cooked about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
To make the butternut squash sauce: heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan (same pan) and add the onions, cook until soft and translucent about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cubed squash season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg tossing to coat, add the stock and bring to a simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until soft. Let slightly cool and transfer to a blender, blend until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste if needed. pour into baking dish about half way up the edges.
To make the stuffed shells: Combined cooked spinach, ricotta, walnuts and sage into a bowl and whip until fluffy and combined. Add a generous tablespoon of the mixture into each shell and place into the sauce. Bake for 20 minutes until the sauce bubbles and shells start to get golden.
Serve with fresh parmesan and lay a fresh leave of sage over each shell.