Description
Create a warm and comforting Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells dish perfect for a cozy winter dinner. This recipe blends rich ricotta with seasonal pumpkin for a delightful filling inside tender pasta shells.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box jumbo pasta shells (about 30 shells)
- 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Cook the jumbo shells according to package directions until al dente. Drain them and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, ricotta cheese, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped sage, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix well until the filling is smooth and evenly combined.
- Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Carefully stuff each cooked pasta shell with the pumpkin ricotta mixture. You can use a small spoon or your fingers.
- Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer over the sauce in the baking dish.
- Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the top of the stuffed shells.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the extra Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
- Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy this comforting meal.
Notes
- If you prefer a deeper fall flavor, substitute fresh sage with 1 teaspoon of dried ground sage.
- For a richer dish, use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned.
- Feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the filling if you like a little heat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 shells
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 750mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 80mg