Pumpkin Ricotta stuffed Shells

5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Ricotta stuffed Shells

These pumpkin ricotta stuffed shells are a savory comfort dish featuring tender shell pasta filled with a creamy, nutmeg-scented pumpkin and baked in a velvety sauce until golden and bubbly.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 184kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

14 jumbo shell pasta
½ cup pumpkin purée
½ cup ricotta cheese
1½ cup milk
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoon all purpose flour
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
5-6 fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Bring a large pot of water to boil and add a generous amount of salt. Drop the pasta shells.
14 jumbo shell pasta
Cook these till al-dente. Try not to mix them too much to avoid breakage. Drain and set aside. Reserve some water to use later in the sauce.
In a bowl add pumpkin purée, ricotta cheese, 2-3 torn sage leaves, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ pepper and ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg.
½ cup pumpkin purée , ½ cup ricotta cheese , 5-6 fresh sage, 1 teaspoon salt , 1 teaspoon ground pepper , ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Fold the ingredients together till it makes a smooth mixture. Fill the shells with the mixture and set aside.
In a pan heat unsalted butter. Add minced garlic and 2-3 sage leaves.
2 tablespoon unsalted butter , 3-4 cloves garlic
Once the garlic is fragrant add the all purpose flour.
2 teaspoon all purpose flour
Cook the flour for 4-5 minutes till the flour turns light yellow. Stir well so the garlic does not burn.
Add milk and ¼ cup leftover pasta water mix well. Let the sauce thicken for a few minutes.
1½ cup milk
Next add the remaining nutmeg powder, salt and pepper.
Let the sauce bubble for a minute or two. Turn down the flame.
In an oven safe pan or tray add ¾ sauce.
Arrange the stuffed shells and pour the remaining sauce. Scatter a couple of sage leaves.
Bake the stuffed shells for 20-25 minutes till the sauce starts to bubble and the pasta has crisp edges.
Remove and serve warm with some toasted bread.

Notes

Drain the pumpkin purée: If the pumpkin purée feels too wet, simply drain using a fine mesh strainer or cook it for a few minutes till dry. This extra step helps keeing the filling dry and not soupy.

Make the filling dry: The number one enemy of baked pasta is moisture. So avoid this at all costs. Drain the ricotta or use some binding agent like bread crumbs if the mix feels too wet. Do not continue till the filling is perfect in texture.

Use freshly grated nutmeg: Grate a fresh nutmeg into the filling and sauce instead of using the packaged powder. Not only does it add more depth and flavor; it is also less expensive. Nutmeg pods stay well for 3-4 years and can be used for so many dishes.

Do NOT over bake the shells: Bake the shells till cooked and the sauce bubbly. Over baking will result in a dry dish and the shells tends to get crisp and hard edges too. Also, to reheat the pasta, simply use a low temperature oven or microwave. Over heating will make the dish dry too.

Swap the sauce: The recipe works really well with a variety of sauces. Swap the garlic sauce with a tomato based sauce for a wholesome version. Moreover, a creamy pesto sauce will work really well too. Or simply use a coconut milk based sauce and bake the shells.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition