Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells – The Dizzy Cook dinner

This butternut squash stuffed shells is a creamy and comforting meal. Scrumptious fall flavors of sage and butternut squash combined with ricotta cheese are stuffed into pasta shells and lined in a selfmade béchamel sauce.

A white baking dish filled with creamy butternut squash stuffed shells, topped with sage leaves.

Baked until heat and effervescent, these stuffed shells pair splendidly with a mild butter lettuce salad or forged iron roast hen.

Baked Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

That is one recipe I really like for the autumn as a result of it is very easy to prep, and the entire household will find it irresistible. Plus it has sneaky greens in it! As an alternative of your typical baked stuffed shells with marinara, the béchamel is a creamy sauce that pairs properly with the ricotta and squash.

You may love these squash stuffed shells as a result of:

Nice for meal prep – I really like this recipe to present to associates or make forward. All you need to do is prep until you are able to bake, then cowl and place within the fridge.
Fall flavors – The butternut squash and sage pair properly with the sunshine, creamy sauce.
Simple – This recipe makes use of canned butternut squash for ease, though you possibly can roast your personal if desired (and it might be additional scrumptious).

This recipe is gluten free pleasant if you could find the shells, and migraine food plan pleasant.

Elements

Ingredients for butternut squash stuffed shells on a white marble background.

Listed below are just a few components you will have for these butternut squash stuffed shells. The complete listing may be discovered within the recipe card beneath.

Canned butternut squash – I exploit canned as a result of it is really easy, however you possibly can substitute recent, if desired, or use pumpkin as an alternative.
Jumbo pasta shells – Giant semolina shells are greatest for stuffing. DeCecco and Barilla shells are two in style manufacturers that can work. Also can use gluten free, however these are more durable to seek out.
Ricotta cheese – I like to recommend an entire milk ricotta that has no carrageenan for one of the best style and texture. Liuzzi, Calabro, and BelGiosio are my favorites. These should not grainy and tremendous creamy.
Broth – I like to make use of Dealer Joe’s Hearty Vegetable broth for store-bought, or selfmade rotisserie hen broth.
Sage leaves – I like to recommend utilizing recent for greatest outcomes, however dried can be utilized in a pinch. You’ll need to lower the quantity.

Substitutions

Butternut squash – Will be substituted with pumpkin. Be sure you get plain pumpkin puree and never pumpkin pie flavored. May be subbed with candy potato.
Goat cheese – Will be substituted with cream cheese, however the taste is not going to be as sturdy.
Gluten free – Substitute 1:1 gluten free flour or arrowroot powder for the sauce base and gluten free jumbo shells or noodles.
Dairy free – I’ve not tried this, however would advocate utilizing extra butternut squash to substitute the ricotta cheese, then utilizing oat milk for the sauce.

How you can Make

Process photos of making the butternut squash stuffing and starting the bechamel sauce.

Step 1: Prep the components

Preheat the oven to 350 levels Fahrenheit. Cook dinner the pasta in response to bundle instructions, then drain and funky. Separate the pasta shells so it does not stick collectively because it cools. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with just a little little bit of olive oil.

Step 2: Mix the butternut squash filling

In a big bowl, mix the butternut squash with ricotta, sage, chopped kale or spinach, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Style and regulate any seasonings.

Step 3: Stuff the shells

Fill every pasta shell with the butternut/ricotta combination and set contained in the 9×13 inch pan.

Process photos of making the creamy bechamel and pouring it on top of the stuffed shells.

Step 4: Make the béchamel

In a big saucepan, soften the butter over medium-low warmth. Stir within the flour until clean and cook dinner till flippantly browned and bubbly. Add the milk and broth in elements, whisking after every addition till clean. Initially it will likely be clumpy, however don’t fret, simply preserve whisking until it smooths out – this is the reason it is useful to do in smaller elements.

Deliver the sauce to a simmer, stirring till thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Flip off the warmth and stir in goat cheese till clean. Add any salt and pepper as wanted.

Step 5: Bake

Pour the béchamel sauce over the stuffed shells and bake within the oven at 350 levels Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or till flippantly browned and bubbly.

Jumbo shells stuffed with ricotta and butternut squash, topped with a bechamel inside a baking dish next to a striped towel.

Recipe Suggestions

There are two prime ideas I’ve for this recipe. The primary is to maintain the nice and cozy pasta water round in case you overlook to separate the shells. In the event that they’re caught collectively after cooling/draining, you’ll be able to simply submerge them rapidly within the heat water and they need to separate simply.

The second is to purchase actually good high quality ricotta cheese. This may make the filling clean and creamy as an alternative of grainy.

Make Forward and Storage

Meal prep – To prep forward, you may make recipe proper up until you bake. Earlier than baking, cowl the 9×13 dish and place within the fridge. Then bake when prepared.

Fridge – After baking, enable the stuffed shells to chill fully after which cowl them and retailer within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Reheat, lined with foil, at 350 levels Fahrenheit for about quarter-hour, or till warmed by way of.

Freezer – This meal freezes very properly! You possibly can prep in a freezable baking dish and retailer for as much as 6 months. To cook dinner, enable it to defrost in a single day within the fridge earlier than baking.

A wood spoon holding a creamy stuffed shell.

Serving Solutions

I really like these butternut squash stuffed shells on their very own, however if you would like to serve them with both a protein or a aspect dish, listed here are my favourite recommendations.

This is able to even be nice served with easy inexperienced beans. I’ve a roasted inexperienced bean recipe in The Mediterranean Migraine Weight loss plan e-book.

Steadily Requested Questions

Can I exploit one other sort of pasta as an alternative of jumbo shells?

You possibly can do that as a butternut squash lasagna, much like my lazy lasagna recipe. Simply layer the filling with the pasta with the sauce on prime.

Might I add hen?

For a protein, I might positively select hen as one of the best tasting for these flavors. Would advocate a shredded rotisserie hen or serving with a recipe like this forged iron roast hen.

What may I substitute for ricotta cheese?

Should you usually hate ricotta cheese, I extremely advocate attempting one of many manufacturers talked about above. Full fats ricotta with none components or thickeners like carrageenan may be clean and creamy!

Pasta Recipes

These butternut squash stuffed shells are certainly one of my favourite vegetarian fall recipes. Should you’re craving extra comforting flavors, take a look at these recipes.

Should you make this, tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Fb and Instagram. And in case you love the recipe, please depart a assessment beneath! Comply with alongside on my Pinterest for extra nice recipes.