Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter
These butternut squash stuffed shells with sage browned butter are elegant and delicious. It is a perfect dish to make for company.
Personally, I firmly believe that the butternut squash/pasta combo is a match made in heaven.
Once, when I attended a holiday dinner for my husband’s job, the caterers served a butternut squash ravioli that was, honest to goodness, the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life. Ever.
My efforts to recreate it later (complete with homemade pasta and all) didn’t quite live up to the reality of that precious evening. As in, my ravioli exploded everywhere while boiling and I ended up with butternut-ravioli-mush, which wasn’t exactly what I was after, if you know what I mean.
So, when I spied this butternut squash stuffed shell recipe on Pinterest, I was pretty hopeful it would redeem my failed butternut-pasta attempt from years gone by. And it did.
These shells are stuffed with a combination of roasted butternut squash, creamy ricotta, a touch of lemon (so essential to brighten up the dish) and other fantastic ingredients.
Drizzled with the aforementioned butter-sage concoction and topped with crispy sage leaves, these shells are utterly divine and very elegant, if you want to serve them to company.
I, for one, did not serve them to company, unless you count my four rugrats and their dad as “company.”
And for the record, not one of them commented on the elegance of the shells while they shoveled them down. Sigh. I savored each and every lovely bite on behalf of them all. P.S. If you aren’t crazy about drizzling a stick of butter (browned to other-worldly deliciousness and infused with fresh sage), well, shame on you and your calorie-conscious ways.
But if you still refuse, I’ve also served these shells with our favorite simple garlic alfredo sauce and…well…they are magnificent that way, too.
What to Serve With This
- For a meat factor, this Mediterranean Pork or Broiled Parmesan and Lemon Chicken
- Fresh vegetables with Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Buttery Peas with Thyme
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Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (12-ounce) package jumbo pasta shells, about 20-24 shells total
- 2 cups of part-skim ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- ½ cup packed fresh spinach, chop after measuring
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup butter
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the butternut squash and chop the flesh into cubes. Toss the cubed squash in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the squash is fork tender. Scrape the warm squash into a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Let it cool to warm room temperature before using in the recipe (this step can be done 2-3 days in advance and the cooked, mashed squash can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator). Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
- Cook the jumbo pasta shells according to package directions and drain. In a medium bowl, combine the squash, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, garlic, spinach, egg, salt and pepper and fresh lemon zest. Stir well. Stuff the cooked pasta shells with the squash/ricotta mixture and place them in a lightly greased 9X13-inch baking dish (depending on how full you fill the shells, you may not use all of them). Bake the shells for 18-20 minutes, until they are hot all the way through.
- While the shells are making, prepare the brown butter sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Watch carefully as the butter can go from browned to burned in a short time. Add the sage leaves and cook until the leaves are slightly crisp (the butter should be hot and bubbly when adding the leaves so that the sage cooks quickly). Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.
- Drizzle the sauce over the cooked shells and top with additional grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve the shells with 1-2 crisp sage leaves on top.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Proud Italian Cook
I plan on making this for Thanksgiving. Do you think I could make the stuffed shells and freeze them unbaked and then on Thanksgiving day bake them and make the brown butter sauce.?
Hi Lesley – I think that might work – this isn’t an overly saucy dish, so I do worry a bit about the shells possibly drying out.
Can I make this dish the day before, should I cook and reheat or cook on the day I’m serving it? How would I reheat the dish without the pasta drying out to much? I know I can make brown butter sage sauce ahead of time, but will the cripsy sage leaves wilt? Thank you for any information you can provide.
Hi Rebecka, it is best to add the crispy sage right before serving – it will soften if made a day ahead of time. I think this is best baked right before you want to serve it (but it could be assembled the day before and refrigerated).
How large is a large butternut squash or how much pureed squash do we want to yield?
The best stuffed shells! Don’t skip the lemon zest. My family loved this. Will save this and make again
Would this freeze well?
It might be slightly dry upon thawing and reheating since it isn’t overly saucy.
I made the same mistake it looks like others did (per their comments)—I put lemon juice in the cheese mixture not realizing it was just supposed to be the lemon zest added and that the juice would actually be for the browned butter that would drizzled on at the end. I realized this after juicing the first half of the lemon (I decided to not add the remainder to the browned butter because it was a juicy lemon and that seemed to be the right move). With my error I’d still say this was a 4/5. It tasted like the more sophisticated version of a similar recipe I had in the past (the lemon really brightens this up but I actually prefer the other butternut shells recipe I tried).
As a tip, I used a small cookie scoop (1 Tablespoon) to fill up the shells and that seemed to work perfectly.
Lastly, just a heads up that if the butternut squash isn’t roasted well (or it gets burnt) or you got an under-ripened squash, it can significantly change the flavor (in a bad way) of a recipe like this. You need to start with a good squash and get it beautifully roasted with some caramelization to it.
Everyone at my supper club enjoyed this dish and it was a great way to showcase our garden squash and sage. I would definitely make again, if only to try and perfect the crispy sage leaves as mine were limp this time – but still delicious!
Absolutely delicious! My family finally loves a vegetarian dish…victory!
I’m almost done making this… looks really great! But as a suggestion, perhaps put the brown butter sage sauce ingredients separately? Like “For the brown butter” as a section in the ingredients. I was going back and forth between ingredients and recipe (no mise en place here) and I just squeezed the lemon juice into the mixture instead of saving it! I hope it turns out okay but I’m all out of lemons so the sauce will just be the sage brown butter…
Do you have nutrition info?
I’m updating all my recipes with nutrition info and this one should be updated shortly!
I’m not adverse to taking shortcuts. I roasted frozen cubed butternut squash, substituted cottage cheese, put the lemon in the cottage cheese mixture, added extra garlic, and to combat the shells getting crispy, dolloped jarred Alfredo sauce on top, with an extra sprinkle of grated parmesan. At the end of baking, finished with 5 minutes under the broiler. It was fantastic!
Tried it out and loved it! I used ground sage instead of the leaves. I just added them in the beginning and let the butter brown with the sage in there. Still really good.
I forgot to buy ricotta, what can I replace it with? I have cottage cheese?
I often blend up cottage cheese and use in place of ricotta.
Wow this was.. like having a meal from a restaurant!! Much needed in these quarantined times. I subbed Kite Hill vegan ricotta and it turned out amazing. Thank you :).
Anyone add heavy cream and cream cheese?
I love this recipe, it’s one of my favorite dishes! I often make it with a can of pumpkin instead of the squash which makes it a really quick pantry meal (as long as I have ricotta). I also usually cover the pans with tinfoil while baking because our noodles end up getting super crispy. Maybe I’m not cooking them enough in the water or something.
This was absolutely delicious! Will be making it often!
Made this dish tonight. Absolutely delicious!! First time making brown butter and was delighted at watching the sage crisp up. This is definitely a keeper as I love butternut squash. I am looking at your Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies recipe to make later this week.
Yes but had to use manicotti because I couldn’t find jumbo shells! Can you reheat the sage butter sauce?
Yes!
Omg…. Made these last night!!! AMAZING! I added some shredded mozzarella on top … Next time Im doubling sauce…. Delish
If making these with your alfredo sauce, would you freeze a pan with the sauce on? Anybody tried this?
I haven’t tried it, but I def would…the sauce might be a tad bit less creamy after thawing and reheating but I’ve frozen it for other recipes, and we still think it’s tasty.
Have you ever incorporated chicken with this dish? I have a husband who is going to want some meat with his squash!
I haven’t, but I think you definitely could! Or sausage would be yummy, too.
This recipe has become my staple vegetarian holiday dish over the last few years. I look forward to being able to make this dish every year when butternut squash comes in season.
How many weight watcher points is this?
I’m not sure – sorry!
Delicious, even without the spinach and cottage cheese rather than ricotta. I also used lime instead of lemon.
Carli, I’m so glad you said this about cottage cheese! I almost always have some in the fridge, and I since I often make this recipe with a can of pumpkin instead of the squash, using cottage cheese would make it’s “pantry meal” status complete!
Help! Can I add mozzarella or will that destroy this??
You can definitely try! I haven’t tried it myself.
Made this and loved it. Would like to serve it on Christmas Eve but don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen. Could it be prepared on the day before except for the brown butter?
I think that should work!
This did not work out for us. We found it to be lacking flavor, with so much ricotta that the squash couldn’t be tasted at all. And the ricotta never really melted, so it was grainy in the filling. We each ate one shell (out a 9×13 pan), and the rest was thrown away.
How large a squash? 3 lbs.?
Probably right around that size.
Hi there – it doesn’t say how much this makes per person. I’m having a dinner party of 8 adults and thinking I need to double?
It serves between 4-6 adults.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My whole family loved it (even the picky 5 year old). I must have found a super jumbo butternut squash because I had enough filling to fill a box and a half of shells (I froze a bunch for a quick dinner down the road). One quick tip with the squash if you’re like me and have a difficult time peeling and chopping them… put it in your slow cooker on low for 8 hours (I did it overnight). The squash will be perfectly cooked and ready to mash.
This was so yummy! I cut back the lemon to just the juice of half a lemon and no zest…we aren’t citrus fans at our house. It was delicious! I made your Macaroni Grill Rosemary bread as well. Another meal that I could categorize as a favorite from your website. Thanks!
Thank you for giving the book suggestions.
I have read three books that are outstanding, and based on fact.
“A house in the sky” which is a true story about a Canadian girl who is kidnapped and held in a Semolian prison. It is unbelievable, and how she survived is a miracle.
“The river of doubt, Theodore Roosevelt’s most difficult journey”.
It is the true story of Roosevelt’s experiences in mapping the Amazon river.
“A land remembered” a story based on fact about the settling of Florida.
You will not be able to put these books down.
Thank you for the recommendations!
I go way back with this recipe. Several years ago, a friend made it for a potluck that basically challenges you to make your best dish. I was not a pasta shells OR butternut squash fan before then, but I am now!!! This is one of my g0-to recipes, especially in the fall.
I make this at least 9 times a year (I feel like that’s a lot for me!) and even in the summer months! seriously one of my favorite recipes! Thank you Mel!
That’s awesome, Andee! I’m so happy you love this one! It’s a favorite of mine, too.
I was a little underwhelmed. I didn’t think they had much taste. I think I would try these with sausage next time. Needed another texture.
Made these last night. So delicious! Great flavor! I accidentally put half the lemon juice in the ricotta mix and half in the sauce, but it turned out perfect. Also I put foil over them when baking which kept the shells softer. I will definitely be making them again! Everyone loved them. Thank you for sharing the recipe Mel!
I made this and accidentally put the lemon juice in the ricotta mix. Not too overpowering. I think the instructions should say to cover the pan with foil. That would help with the crunchy shells. great flavor!
It was delicious! But for me, the lemon was WAY too overpowering. Next time I’ll probably quarter it. Everything else was great.