PUMPKIN SAGE STUFFED SHELLS😍

The dreamy creamy baked pasta dish you’ll want to be making all fall long! The pumpkin adds creaminess, allowing you to use less cream and cheese, making this taste like a special occasion meal but healthy enough for a weeknight dinner. You’re gonna love this one! 

Serves 8*

*You can easily halve this for a weeknight meal (just whisk the egg and use half)

Ingredients:

For the Pumpkin Sage Stuffed Shells:

• 1 18oz jar of marinara sauce

• 12oz box jumbo shells

• 1 cup NutPods oroat milk for dairy free, or half & half

• ½ cup canned pumpkin puree

• Salt and pepper to taste

• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

For the Pumpkin Ricotta Filling:

• 1 cup ricotta

• 1½ cups canned pumpkin (the rest of the can)

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp dried sage

• ¼  tsp nutmeg (optional)

• ¼  tsp cinnamon

• 1 egg, whisked

• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

For the Browned Butter Sage Breadcrumbs:

• ¼ cup salted butter

• 16 sage leaves, chopped

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

For the Pumpkin Sage Stuffed Shells:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

• Grease a 9x13” baking dish and add in marinara sauce, cream, ½ cup canned pumpkin, sage, and whisk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the shells 1-2 minutes less than package instructions or until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

• In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the pumpkin from the can with the ricotta, parmesan, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper.

• Fill a ziplock or piping bag with the pumpkin ricotta mixture and cut off a small corner. 

• Pipe the filling into the shells and place them closely together in the baking dish. Once all shells are filled, top with parmesan cheese.

• Cover the baking dish with greased tin foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

• While the shells are baking, make your browned butter sage breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add in the sage. Once the butter is bubbly, add in the panko breadcrumbs and toast on medium, tossing frequently until golden brown. Just as they turn golden, shut off the heat as they’ll toast a bit more in the hot pan.

• Uncover shells and top with the breadcrumbs, then return to the oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

• Optional: for a crispier, more browned topping, broil on high for 1-2 minutes.

• Serve immediately and enjoy!!

• To make ahead: do all steps up until baking and store the breadcrumbs separately. Bake as usual.