This is the pasta bake I make when the first cold snap arrives and the squash pile at the market gets serious. Jumbo shells are stuffed with roasted butternut mashed with ricotta and Parmesan, packed shoulder to shoulder in a glass dish, and baked until the tops crisp — then the whole pan gets the treatment in the photograph: brown butter foamed with fresh sage leaves and a generous handful of toasted pecans scattered over the top. No tomato sauce, no cream sauce drowning it. The squash is the sauce, more or less, and the brown butter is the finishing touch that makes the dish taste like fall instead of just looking like it.
Roasting the squash properly is the one step you cannot rush. Cubes roasted at 400°F (204°C) until their edges caramelise taste sweet and almost nutty; squash that is merely boiled or steamed tastes flat and waters down the filling. While the squash roasts, the shells boil and the ricotta mixture comes together in one bowl, so the hands-on time stays close to 20 minutes and the oven does the rest. If you buy pre-cut squash cubes — and in late October, when this dish earns its keep, most stores sell them — the prep shrinks to almost nothing.
This belongs in our Easy Dinners collection alongside our easy baked ziti and our easy classic beef lasagna — the same crowd-pleasing, bake-it-in-a-dish logic, but lighter and meat-free. Serve it straight from the dish with a bitter green salad and crusty bread, and keep the pecans on top until serving so they stay crisp.
Fill the shells generously, and do not overcook them
Boil the shells 2 minutes less than the package says — they will finish cooking in the oven, and fully cooked shells tear when you try to fill them. A small spoon or a piping bag with the corner snipped off makes the filling step fast; either way, pack each shell full, because a half-filled shell bakes up dry and sad. If a few shells split in the pot, use them anyway: tucked into the dish with the torn side down, nobody will ever know, and they taste exactly the same.
Brown the butter, then stop watching the clock
Brown butter goes from perfect to burnt in under a minute, so stand at the stove for this one step. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan, until the milk solids turn amber and the butter smells like toasted hazelnuts; drop in the sage leaves, which will crisp and sputter in seconds, then pull the pan off the heat immediately. Pour it over the shells the moment they come out of the oven, scatter the pecans, and let the dish rest for 10 minutes so the filling sets enough to serve in clean scoops.
Ingredients
- 20 jumbo pasta shells (about 200 g)
- 4 cups butternut squash cubes (about 560 g), peeled and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml)
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (245 g)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (50 g), plus more to serve
- 1 large egg (about 50 g), lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (1 g)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (6 g), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1 g)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (57 g)
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (55 g), toasted
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Roast the squash. Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Toss the squash cubes with the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt on a rimmed baking sheet, spread them in a single layer, and roast for 25 minutes, until caramelised at the edges and completely tender when pierced with a fork. Leave the oven on for the shells.
- Boil the shells. While the squash roasts, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package directs, so they stay firm enough to fill. Drain them gently and spread them on a baking sheet so they do not stick together or tear.
- Make the filling. Mash the roasted squash in a large bowl with a fork until mostly smooth — a few small chunks are welcome. Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, beaten egg, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Taste and adjust the salt; the filling should taste seasoned on its own, since the pasta itself is plain.
- Fill and pack the dish. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish. Spoon the filling generously into each shell — a small spoon works, or snip the corner off a zip-top bag and pipe it in — and pack the shells into the dish in snug rows, open side up, exactly as in the photograph. Dot any leftover filling into the gaps between shells.
- Bake until crisped on top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 400°F (204°C) for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5 minutes more, until the exposed shell edges are crisped and lightly golden. The filling should be hot all the way through and just beginning to puff.
- Brown the butter with sage. While the shells bake, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling often, until the milk solids turn amber and it smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Add the sage leaves — they will crisp and sputter in seconds — then pull the pan off the heat at once so the butter does not burn.
- Finish and rest. Pour the sage brown butter over the shells the moment they leave the oven and scatter the toasted pecans over the top. Rest the dish for 10 minutes before serving so the filling sets and the shells hold their shape when scooped. Serve with extra Parmesan and a green salad.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 470 kcal |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 420 mg |
| Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
Covered in the refrigerator, the shells keep for up to 4 days; reheat covered in a 350°F (177°C) oven for about 20 minutes, until hot through, and add a fresh drizzle of brown butter if you have it. They also freeze well for up to 2 months: cool completely, wrap the dish tightly, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat as above. Nutrition figures are estimates per serving and vary with the squash and cheese used; estimates vary.
Easy Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
Roasted squash, ricotta, sage brown butter — baked in one dish.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Roast the squash. Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Toss the squash cubes with the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt on a rimmed baking sheet, spread them in a single layer, and roast for 25 minutes, until caramelised at the edges and completely tender when pierced with a fork. Leave the oven on for the shells.
- Boil the shells. While the squash roasts, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the shells 2 minutes less than the package directs, so they stay firm enough to fill. Drain them gently and spread them on a baking sheet so they do not stick together or tear.
- Make the filling. Mash the roasted squash in a large bowl with a fork until mostly smooth — a few small chunks are welcome. Stir in the ricotta, Parmesan, beaten egg, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Taste and adjust the salt; the filling should taste seasoned on its own, since the pasta itself is plain.
- Fill and pack the dish. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) glass baking dish. Spoon the filling generously into each shell — a small spoon works, or snip the corner off a zip-top bag and pipe it in — and pack the shells into the dish in snug rows, open side up, exactly as in the photograph. Dot any leftover filling into the gaps between shells.
- Bake until crisped on top. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 400°F (204°C) for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 5 minutes more, until the exposed shell edges are crisped and lightly golden. The filling should be hot all the way through and just beginning to puff.
- Brown the butter with sage. While the shells bake, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat, swirling often, until the milk solids turn amber and it smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Add the sage leaves — they will crisp and sputter in seconds — then pull the pan off the heat at once so the butter does not burn.
- Finish and rest. Pour the sage brown butter over the shells the moment they leave the oven and scatter the toasted pecans over the top. Rest the dish for 10 minutes before serving so the filling sets and the shells hold their shape when scooped. Serve with extra Parmesan and a green salad.
Recipe by Ahsan ul Haq · FryDaily. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
