Butternut Squash Pasta Shell Bake

Fall is a special time – all the squashes and leafy greens make appearances at the farmers market and the muted colors are so in line with the weather. As opposed to summer when its bright, sunny, and all the gorgeous bright colors from the produce shines.

I have been a huge fan of butternut squash since I came to this country more than 20 years ago. I love how it is subtly sweet, yet it has a body to it. It has so many good nutrients, and butternut squash soup is perhaps my favorite soup. 

How did I come up with the idea for the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake?

I have been toying around with the idea for a few years now, for a Shell Pasta Bake. I have seen recipes online for butternut squash, sausage and kale pasta bakes. My thought process is to highlight simply the butternut squash. I personally do not like chunks of veggies in stuffed shells which is what most recipes call for. 

Keeping all these things in mind, I decided that roasting the butternut squash, with onions and garlic, along with calabrian chili paste will bring out the caramelized flavor, and once pureed, I can use the puree in the cheese stuffing, and make a butternut squash bechamel sauce as the base of the stuffed shells.

The whole pasta dish came through quite beautifully, and my family LOVED THIS rendition of the stuffed pasta.

Ingredients for the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake

The ingredients for the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake are:

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

• Butternut Squash
• Red onion
• Garlic cloves
• Dried herbs: thyme and basil
• Salt and pepper
• Calabrian chili paste
• Olive oil

Butternut Squash Bechamel

• Unsalted butter
• All purpose flour
• Whole milk
• Heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• Sage leaves
• Roasted Butternut Squash Puree
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Fontina

Pasta Shell Stuffing

• Whole milk ricotta
• Cheeses : like fontina and Parmesan
• Dried herbs: thyme and basil
• Salt and pepper
• Sage leaves
• Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Other Ingredients

• Jumbo Pasta Shells
• Cheeses : like fontina and Parmesan

How to make the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake?

The Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake can be broken down into steps:

Step 1: Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

• Add all the ingredients to a baking sheet, mix to combine, and roast the squash for about 30 minutes, until caramelized, and soft.
• The mixture is pureed with some of the pasta water and used for the Butternut Squash Bechamel and the stuffing of the pasta shells.

Step 2: Make the Butternut Squash Bechamel

• The bechamel is really quite easy and comes together within 10 minutes. Start off by making roux (in French), where the butter and all purpose flour are mixed to form a paste, and cooked until the raw taste is no longer present.
• Then the milk and heavy cream are added along with spices, roasted butternut squash puree and cheese, and cooked a bit until thickened. The bechamel sauce forms the base of the pasta bake.

Step 3: Make the Pasta Shell Stuffing

• The stuffing is a mixture of ricotta, fontina, Parmesan, sage, and the roasted butternut squash puree, giving it texture and flavor.
• The stuffing is added into the jumbo pasta shells.

Step 4: Assemble and Bake

• Layer a baking pan with the butternut squash bechamel. Line the stuffed jumbo shells on top of the bechamel, add more sauce, and finally cover with the cheese and bake, while covering with aluminum foil.
• After baking for close to 40 minutes, broil the mixture to brown the top slightly for 2-3 minutes.
• Finally layer with the fried sage leaves and serve immediately.

Enjoy the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake with some red wine, and a side salad!

What kind of pasta shells do you use in the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake?

I know this is a pack of 12, but this is the exact Jumbo Shell Pasta that I have used in this recipe.

What kind of ricotta cheese do you use? 

I used the exact Galbani ricotta whole milk cheese in this recipe.

Can I substitute butternut squash with another kind of squash if I do not have it at home?

Yes! Absolutely. You can use whichever squash that you prefer.

How can I store the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake? How long can I keep it?

The Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for upto 3 days.

How do I re-heat it?

To re-heat it, place in the microwave for a minute, and touch to make sure it is heated well. 

Other fall squash recipes that are popular on the blog:

• Indian Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Savory Granola
• Butternut Squash, Mushroom and Fontina Pasta Bake
• Indian Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Leeks and Gruyere Tart

If you do make any of these recipes, please do not forget to tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.

 XO
Amisha

Butternut Squash Pasta Shell Bake

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• Amisha Gurbani

Make this wonderful Thanksgiving side especially for the vegetarians in the family – Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake. The recipe starts with making a roasted butternut squash puree, which is added to the shell stuffing, as well as to make the butternut squash bechamel. The pasta is baked to cheesy perfection – is cozy, comforting and one that will be on repeat for years to come.

 

Serves 6 to 8

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Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

• 4 heaped cups butternut squash, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1/2 medium red onion cut into chunks
• 5–6 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon calabrian chili paste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells

Butternut Squash Bechamel

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup Roasted Butternut Squash Puree
• 6–8 sage leaves, finely chopped
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup grated fontina

Pasta Shell Stuffing

• 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup grated fontina
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 6–8 sage leaves, finely chopped
• Remaining Roasted Butternut Squash Puree
• 1 cup grated fontina
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Fried Sage

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ~10 sage leaves

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Method

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a baking sheet, add the butternut squash, onions, garlic along with the dried thyme, basil, black pepper and salt. Add the calabrian chili paste and olive oil and toss well to combine. Spread it out.
3. Place the baking sheet in the lower middle rack of the oven and back for about 25 to 30 minutes, until caramelized with light brown spots.
4. Remove from the oven, set aside for 5 minutes.
5. Cook the pasta: In the meanwhile cook the shell pasta per package instructions.Drain the water once done cooking, setting aside about ¼ cup of the water.
6. Put the roasted squash into a high speed blender along with ¼ cup of the pasta water and blend until smooth.

Prepare the Butternut Squash Bechamel

1. In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, add the butter, and wait until it melts.
2. Then add the all purpose flour and stir to combine. Cook the flour for 2 minutes, stirring continuously to remove any raw flour taste.
3. Add the whole milk and heavy cream and whisk until well combined.
4. Add the black pepper, salt, butternut squash puree, sage leaves and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Add the fontina, and mix to combine.
5. Cook the mixture for roughly about 3 minutes, until the mixture thickens, and there are slight bubbles around the edge. Switch off the stove.

Prepare the Pasta Shell Stuffing

1. In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, Parmesan, fontina, dried thyme, basil, black pepper, salt, sage leaves and butternut squash puree. Mix until well combined.

Assembly and Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray cooking spray in a 9×13 inch baking pan. Add about ¾ of the bechamel sauce in the pan and spread it out evenly.
3. Add about 2 tablespoons of the cheese stuffing into each shell and place it in the baking pan. Repeat to form lines of shells such that the entire baking pan is covered. You may have a few shells left.
4. Evenly distribute the remaining bechamel over the pasta shells.
5. Sprinkle all over with the fontina and Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and set the oven to broil. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until there are dark brown spots all over.
7. Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes.

Fried Sage

1. In a small saucepan on medium high heat, add oil.
2. After a minute, add the sage leaves, let cook for about a minute, until the sage leaves crisp up.
3. Using tongs, remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Garnish the pasta bake with the fried sage leaves.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes

What kind of pasta shells do you use in the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake?

• I know this is a pack of 12, but this is the exact Jumbo Shell Pasta that I have used in this recipe.

What kind of ricotta cheese do you use? 

• I used the exact Galbani ricotta whole milk cheese in this recipe.

Can I substitute butternut squash with another kind of squash if I do not have it at home?

• Yes! Absolutely. You can use whichever squash that you prefer.

How can I store the Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake? How long can I keep it?

• The Butternut Squash Shell Pasta Bake can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for upto 3 days.

How do I re-heat it?

• To re-heat it, place in the microwave for a minute, and touch to make sure it is heated well.