I am a huge fan of all things winter squash (as you’ve probably figured out), making this recipe, a winter squash stuffed shells with greens pesto, one of my absolute favorite December lunches. This has everything I most love about the fall and winter: the slightly sweet squash, salty cheese, pasta, and pesto made with kale, spinach and walnuts. Since there is a small chance that there might be a little bit of snow in this part of the PNW tomorrow, this comfort food just seems perfect.
I used a combination of red kuri (my favorite) and the rest of the pumpkin puree I’d frozen earlier in the fall. Fortunately, I still have one more pie pumpkin in the garage - I figure we still have a few more months of cold weather and might need to make some more pumpkin bread. I also used a bit of the sage that is still growing out in the herb bed.
The pesto consists of both kale and spinach - really, you could use just about any combination of greens. I also used walnuts, because it’s what I had on hand. Pesto can be made out of any combination of herb or green, nuts, garlic, and Parmesan or other hard cheese. I love to try out different combinations. I also have started hand chopping my pesto - I think it helps the herbs or greens retain their integrity and not get mushy like they might in a food processor. The taste is a lot closer to pesto I had in Rome many years ago, so I enjoy it for the nostalgic value, as well.
All together, the winter squash stuffed shells with greens pesto takes about forty minutes to make, and most of that time is hands off while it bakes. It’s well worth the time. It also makes a great freezer meal - making it very appealing for lunch. Since it’s vegetarian, it would also make a great main dish for the holiday festivities for vegetarian friends and family.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree or similar winter squash puree
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 + 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped sage
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 box of large pasta shells
- 1 cup tightly packed greens (spinach, kale, etc.)
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a pot of water in a medium saucepan to a boil. Add the shells and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
- In the meantime, combine the squash puree, the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, the sage, and the pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Drain the shells in a colander and rinse under cold water. When the shells are cool enough to handle, stuff each with about 2 tablespoons of the squash and cheese mixture. Place the shells in a single layer in a 9 X 13 baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese gets lightly browned on top.
- While the shells are baking, prepare the pesto. Put the greens, the walnuts, the garlic, and the parmesan in the middle of a cutting board and gently chop until the ingredients are finely diced and combined. Put the pesto in a small bowl and add the olive oil, gently combining.
- Serve the stuffed shells with the pesto and enjoy!
This post has been linked to Tinned Tomatoes: Meatless Monday. Check out her great posts!
18 comments
Pumpkin and pasta is a perfect combination and this dish sounds simply divine. We are in summer here in Australia but I reckon I can still find an excuse to make this 😉
Thank you, Amanda! Sometimes I keep enough pumpkin around that there’s a bit left in the summer - I’ve done these before and used a basil pesto to top them; they are really good with the basil as well. I’m not much of a tomato sauce person, but I’d imagine these might also be good with a fresh tomato sauce.
oh yum! I’ve got some shells that need stuffing 🙂
🙂 This is definitely a great combination to use up extra pasta shells - I had a box stashed at the back of the cupboard that I brought with us when we moved back in March this year - I guess I just knew I’d eventually want to make this recipe!
I like the combo of pumpkin with greens. I bet they taste great together, stuffed in shells. Nice.
Thank you - yes, the greens are a great contrast to the pumpkin. It’s one of my favorite combos.
This can be made anytime. Looks delicious, thought freezer meal at the jump. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Renz! Yes - this makes a great freezer meal - I usually portion out four or five shells per dish and freeze them for my lunches for the week.
Winter squash seriously makes me weak in the knees. It is just so good! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thank you, Sarah! I feel the same way about winter squash. 🙂
So delicious! I love stuffed shells and love that you used squash!!
Thank you, Elaine! I love squash so much - had to figure out how to use up all the squash I bought earlier this fall. 🙂
This sounds delicious, especially the pesto. Yum!
Thank you, Katrin! I love pesto with just about any type of herb or green!
I absolutely adore stuffed shells! What an amazing idea to stuff them with pumpkin or winter squash. Both must taste amazing! I cannot wait to try this recipe at home. I am adding it to several of my Pinterest boards too for later. Thanks so much for the delicious inspiration! 🙂
Thank you, Alix - so glad to hear you liked the recipe! Glad to be an inspiration! I absolutely love making this recipe - I always save a little bit of pumpkin or other winter squash so I can do this at least once during the winter. This is the first time I added pesto to it and was so glad I did!
Delicious! Winter squash is a favorite of mine.
Thank you, Erin! Mine, too!