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Casserole dish filled with stuffed shells topped with orange squash

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Meatless Mondays just got a whole lot better with my butternut squash stuffed shells recipe. This dish is full of creamy ricotta cheese, spinach, and butternut squash puree. It's perfect for any family dinner and impressive enough for company.
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Course: Comfort Food, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: American and Itanlian
Keyword: meatless monday, vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Laura Franco

Ingredients 

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 25-30 jumbo shells
  • 1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 4-6 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 lemon - zest and juice

Instructions

Squash Puree

  • Preheat oven to 400°
  • Peel the butternut squash and slice it in half.
  • Remove and discard the seeds.
  • Cut the squash into large chunky pieces.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.
  • Roast for 30 minutes.
  • When the squash is finished, put it in a blender and blend on high until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add chicken broth, chicken stock, or water.

Assembly and Baking

  • While the squash is roasting, cook the shells 2 minutes less time than on the box instructions.
  • When the shells are ready, drain them, and put them on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool.
  • Reduce oven heat to 375°.
  • Mix the spinach, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
  • Spoon a layer of squash puree on the bottom of the casserole dish.
  • Prepare a piping bag with a large 1A tip and pipe the spinach ricotta mixture into the shells.
  • Arrange the filled shells on top of the squash puree.
  • To make the brown butter sauce, heat the butter in a small saucepan until it begins to turn brown and foamy.
  • Remove it from the heat and add the sage leaves. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
  • Pour the hot butter mixture over the entire dish.
  • Zest the lemon over the shells.
  • Bake covered for 25 minutes.
  • Uncover it and bake another 5 minutes.
  • Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
  • Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the shells right before serving.

Notes

  • Cook the pasta shells al dente. They should be cooked but firm enough to stay together when stuffed.
  • Use a piping page with a large 1A tip for piping ricotta cheese spinach mixture or use a tablespoon.
  • If there is extra squash puree, place it in a zip-top bag and freeze it for up to 6 months.