This Stuffed Shells with Roasted Butternut and Red Pepper Sauce recipe is a really good one for November when you are looking for some healthier comfort food options! We actually made this dish for a Friendsgiving dinner we hosted!
Contrary to baking, cooking has a little wiggle room to experiment with ingredients. Instead of the standard pasta sauce and shells, this is a recipe that can use up those seasonal vegetables you have on hand. We had an abundance of red peppers from our garden this year! I found these fantastic pre-chopped butternut squash packs at Trader Joe’s (also found them at Kroger). Where would I be without the pre-chopped butternut squash? Probably still chopping a squash. Read on for full recipe!
(I like to see visuals of ingredients, so here is most of what I used!)
Boil and cook your shells as you chop your vegetables. Chop your peppers and onions and scatter across baking sheet along with the pre-chopped butternut squash. Pour over olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to push around and flip to make sure it coats evenly. Stick in the oven for 45 min. I forgot to snap a picture of the roasted vegetables!
While the vegetables are cooking, sauté the sausage over medium heat. When sausage is almost cooked through, add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add in spinach and stir until it spinach is wilted. Turn off heat.
In a separate bowl, mix together ricotta, parmesan, and egg. Add sausage and spinach into ricotta and stir until evenly distributed.
Pull out the roasted vegetables and add them to a blender or food processor. Once a puree forms add in milk and vegetable broth until it is a saucy texture. Pour the red pepper and butternut squash sauce into base of a 9×13 baking dish. Re-set oven to 350 degrees.
Once the shells have cooled, fill with a few tablespoons of the sausage ricotta mixture in each. Place shells on top of the butternut squash sauce in the 9×13 baking dish in rows.
Top with shredded parmesan and cover with foil. Stick in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes. Remove, and serve with a little more parmesan on top!
This is a recipe my children ate up and actually asked for more, much to my surprise because…unknown vegetables! The good thing is the sauce is hiding on the bottom;)
Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments, and cheers to a restful Sunday!
- 2 packs cubed butternut squash
- 3 medium red peppers (chopped) These can be optional!
- 1 onion (sliced and halved)
- 1 lb sausage
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2-3 c spinach
- 1 12 oz box pasta shells (cooked al dente)
- 1-1/2 c milk
- 1 15 oz Ricotta
- 1 c vegetable broth
- 1 egg
- 1 c shredded parmesan
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Boil and cook your shells as you chop your vegetables.
- Chop your peppers and onions and scatter across baking sheet along with the pre-chopped butternut squash. Pour over olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to push around and flip to make sure it coats evenly. Stick in the oven for 45 min.
- While the vegetables are cooking, sauté the sausage over medium heat. When sausage is almost cooked through, add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add in spinach and stir until it spinach is wilted. Turn off heat.
- In a separate bowl, mix together ricotta, parmesan, and egg. Add sausage and spinach into ricotta and stir until evenly distributed.
- Pull out the roasted vegetables and add them to a blender or food processor. Once a puree forms add in milk and vegetable broth until it is a saucy texture. Pour the red pepper and butternut squash sauce into base of a 9x13 baking dish. Re-set oven to 350 degrees.
- Once the shells have cooled, fill with a few tablespoons of the sausage ricotta mixture in each. Place shells on top of the butternut squash sauce in the 9x13 baking dish in rows.
- Top with shredded parmesan and cover with foil. Stick in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes. Remove, and serve with a little more parmesan on top!
Add your broth and milk a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. The images above show a thicker sauce, but after making it a few times I added more milk and broth to make it creamier!
