Pumpkin Stuffed Shells

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These pumpkin stuffed shells are a stunning vegetarian main dish! Three cheeses, spinach and pumpkin puree are baked up in a quick marinara.

This pumpkin stuffed shells recipe is part of #ReclaimtheKitchen initiative to demystify home cooking by sharing actionable tips, tools and techniques to help you reclaim your kitchen. To do this, we’ve created cozy fall stuffed shells that can work for a dinner with friends or a date night in.

The filling is gooey and cozy: savory pumpkin mixed with ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses, with a bit of fresh sage thrown in. The stuffed shells are then baked in our quick tomato sauce, which compliments the filling without overwhelming it. It’s an impressive, showy vegetarian main dish that’s perfect for feeding a crowd. It works as a cozy fall dinner, or even a vegetarian Thanksgiving main dish.

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 ounces jumbo shells
  • Double recipe of Homemade Easy Pizza Sauce (you can use a 28 ounce can tomatoes), or purchased marinara sauce
  •  5 ounces baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped sage
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup shredded Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Boil the shells until al dente, according to the package instructions.
  3. Make the Homemade Easy Pizza Sauce.
  4. When the pasta is done, you’ll use the boiling pasta water to wilt the spinach. To prepare, place the spinach leaves in the colander. Once the pasta is al dente, remove from the heat and pour over enough boiling water to fully wilt it. Place the pot back on the stove and use a spoon to remove the hot greens to a bowl, then drain the pasta into the colander. Return the pasta to the pan with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking. Squeeze out all the water from the greens using a paper towel, then chop it roughly.
  5. To make the filling, combine the chopped spinach with the ricotta, Mozzarella, pumpkin puree, chili powder, nutmeg, sage, salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Then stir in the egg.
  6. Spread some of tomato sauce across the bottom of a 9 x 13 and 9 x 9 pans. Fill each shell with the filling, then arrange them in a single layer in the pan: 24 shells in the 9 x 13 and 15 in the 9 x 9.
  7. Top each pan with shredded Pecorino or Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the filling is warm.

You can read full article and recipes here : https://www.acouplecooks.com/pumpkin-sage-stuffed-shells/