Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Pasta has got to be truly one of the most versatile ingredients found in any cuisine. You can boil, fry or bake it and create delicious recipes. One such dish is the Butternut squash stuffed shells.These are cheesy delights that will take your taste buds to an out of this world experience. The unique flavor of butternut squash coupled with oozing cheese is nothing less than a mouthwatering delight. You can serve it as a starter or a full meal. Wow your family and guests with this classic Italian recipe.

Health benefits

Each pasta shell contains420 calories. Since this is a rich dish, moderation is key to avoid a high calorie count. Butternut squash is rich in antioxidants, spinach loaded with minerals such as iron and magnesium and cheese with calcium.

Ingredients

large butternut squash: 1

olive oil: 2 tbsp

large egg: 1

package of jumbo pasta shells (24 shells): 12 oz

grated parmesan: 1/2 cup

ricotta cheese: 2 cups

garlic cloves, minced: 2

fresh spinach (chopped): 1 cup

salt: 1 tsp

pepper: ½ tsp

lemon – zest and juice: 1

Butter: 1/2 cup

fresh sage leaves: 10

How To Make Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2. Peel and chop the butternut squash into medium cubes.
3. Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to the butternut squash.
4. Line up the baking tray with parchment paper and roast the butternut squash cubes in the oven for 15 minutes. Check the tenderness of the cubes with a fork and remove from oven once done.
5. Let them cool and reach room temperature.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees C.
7. In large pot of lightly salted and boiling water, cook the pasta shells for 10 minutes or until they become al dente.
8. Drain the water and set the pasta shells aside.
9. In amedium sized bowl, combine the spinach, egg, salt pepper, butternut squash cubes, parmesan and ricotta cheese together.
10. Add in the lemon zest to the mixture.
11. Fill this mixture in each of the pasta shells.
12. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
13. Place all the pasta shells inside the dish and bake for 20 minutes.
14. Prepare the brown butter sauce while the pasta shells are baking.
15. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until it is golden brown. This should take about 10 minutes. Make sure the butter doesn’t get burned.
16. Add in the sage leaves and let them fry until they are brown and crispy.
17. Remove the brown butter sauce from the heat and add in the lemon juice.
18. After the pasta is baked, drizzle the brown butter sauce all over the shells and let it stand for 10 minutes.
19. Sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top and serve with 1 sage leaf with every shell.

Trivia

• Like pumpkin seeds, butternut squash seeds can be eaten as snacks.

Pasta shells are almost always used for filling and baking.