Butternut Stuffed Shells With Sage Cream Sauce

Butternut squash stuffed shells with Italian sausage and a creamy sage sauce is the perfect fall meal! Each bite has layers of flavor that makes this the ultimate comfort food!

My summer garden is starting to die back, and I have harvested a bunch of herbs. Sage has been growing like wild fire, and I was so excited to pair it with a few butternut squashes I bought from Maeday Farm at the Palafox Market.

Fall is approaching and this is by far my favorite time of year. I am obsessed with feeding people. I don’t want a single person leaving my house with a hungry belly. Therefore, fall brings all the comforting and hearty meals that I can fill people up best with!

These stuffed shells were easy to throw together, and I even have a few tricks to make this recipe quickly if you don’t have the time to fiddle with the butternut squash (peeling, dicing, roasting).

Did I mention this could be a killer vegetarian meal, too? We love Italian sausage in our home, but you could easily sub that out with pecans! Pecans and butternut squash= true love foreva!

However you choose to serve up this insanely delicious butternut squash dish, you will leave the table full and so satisfied. This dinner packs a whole bunch of nutrients!

Butternut Stuffed Shells With Ricotta

What ingredients are needed for butternut stuffed shells?

• 1 large butternut squash
• ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• parmesan cheese
• ground pork
• fresh sage
• buttermilk
• butter
• jumbo shells
• and a few spices!

How to roast a butternut squash

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Peel the butternut squash with a peeler.
2. Cut the butternut squash in half. Dice the butternut squash into small 1 inch chunks. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the diced butternut squash. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over it.
4. Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes. I find that it took about 20 minutes. Remove from oven when it is fork-tender.

Baked Pasta With Butternut Squash, Sausage and Ricotta

How to make Stuffed shells with Butternut squash

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Peel the butternut squash, dice it, then layer it on a baking sheet. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil, then pop in the oven for about 20 minutes.
2. Once the butternut squash is fork-tender, remove from oven and put the chunks in a blender OR mash the chunks with a potato masher/ fork.
3. Place the mashed butternut squash in a bowl, then add the ricotta cheese, a pinch of nutmeg, and an egg. Mix to combine.
4. Cook pasta shells to al dente. Drain the water.
5. In a cast-iron pan, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add ground sausage and spices to the pan, and break up the pork into small pieces. Cook until well done. Add to the butternut squash mixture.
6. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Begin stuffing shells with 1 heaping TBS of butternut squash filling and place the shells in an oven-safe dish.
7. In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir. In a blender, combine fresh sage, garlic, and buttermilk. Add the buttermilk mixture to the melted butter and flour. Stir in parmesan cheese. Let the sauce lightly boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Pour the safe sauce over the shells, then put tin foil over the dish and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Mangia!

More Butternut Squash Recipes

• Vegan Butternut Squash Curry With Spinach
• Butternut Squash Carbonara
• Butternut Squash Gnocchi
• Hassleback Butternut Squash
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Other Sea Salt Savorings Classics

• Chicken and dumplings is a classic that is made even easier with this recipe! Rotisserie chicken and store bought stock make this recipe easy to make in thirty minutes!
• Creamy Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs has all the flavors of your favorite Thai dishes! The chicken meatballs are moist and packed with flavor, enhancing the smooth curry sauce.
• This creamy Copy Cat Panera Bread Baja Macaroni and Cheese is exploding with flavor! With garlic-lime seared chicken, fresh pico de gallo, and extra cheese macaroni, this dish is a hit!
• Fresh squeezed lemon and garden picked basil light up this fresh spaghetti squash meal!  Drizzled olive oil with a hint of garlic and creamy ricotta cheese accents the nutty flavor of the squash, giving this dish layers of flavor!
• Penne au Gratin made easy!  This saucy meal is the soul food of all American- Italian food!  Spicy Italian sausage is pan seared with peppers and mushrooms, and baked in alla vodka sauce with loads of cheese and penne pasta.  This is a fabulous meal to feed a large hungry family!
  

Easy Butternut Squash Pasta

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Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells With Sage Cream Sauce

Butternut squash stuffed shells with Italian sausage and a creamy sage sauce is the perfect fall meal! Each bite has layers of flavor that makes this the ultimate comfort food!

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 TBS olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Italian Sausage

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp ground fennel
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Sage Cream Sauce

• 2 TBS butter
• 3 TBS flour
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 TBS fresh sage
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 box of jumbo shells

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Peel the butternut squash with a peeler. Cut the butternut squash in half, then dice into bite size 1-inch pieces. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until fork-tender.

2. While squash is roasting, place ground pork over medium heat in a cast iron pan. Add salt, fennel, sage, garlic, onion, parsley, and red pepper flakes to the ground pork Using a fork, mix the spices and pork well, while breaking the pork into small pieces. Cook until well done.

3. Add roasted butternut squash to a blender, and blend until smooth OR mash well with a fork. In a medium bowl, combine mashed butternut squash, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and a pinch of nutmeg. Add sausage and stir to combine.

4. Boil a pot of water with a heaping teaspoon of salt, and cook pasta to al dente. Drain, and set to the side.

5. In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat. While the butter is melting, combine buttermilk, sage, and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and stir to combine. This will form crumbles. Add the buttermilk mixture to the pan and bring to a light boil.

6. Once the buttermilk mixture is lightly boiling, add the parmesan cheese and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour over butternut stuffed shells evenly. Put tinfoil over the dish, and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and serve with pecan pieces, fresh herbs, and more cheese. Mangia!

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