Not So Italian Butternut Stuffed Shells Food

BUTTERNUT SQUASH-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Add the squash, shallot and garlic to a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the thyme, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and toss again. Roast until the squash is tender and light golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add the pasta shells and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and let cool.
• Squeeze the roasted garlic into a small food processor or blender, add the squash, shallot and vegetable broth and puree until smooth.
• Mix together the spinach, cream cheese, ricotta, red pepper flakes, 2/3 cup of the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon salt in a large bowl. Stuff about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture into each shell; set aside.
• Add the pureed squash mixture, heavy cream and butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the remaining 1 1/3 cups Parmesan.
• Spread the cheese sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the stuffed shells in the baking dish seam-side up, shingling them so they all fit (you should have 5 shells along the short side and 6 shells along the long side). Top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and sage before serving.

ITALIAN UNSTUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and use your hands to crush them into chunky pieces; set aside.
• In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the sausage and brown in large chunks until no pink remains, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out the fat from the skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Add about a third of the tomatoes to the skillet and stir to pick up any remaining browned bits. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, add the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, shredded mozzarella, egg, garlic, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Add the cooked pasta and sausage and gently mix.
• Add the pasta and sausage mixture to the skillet. Top with the remaining tomatoes and then the sliced mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with torn basil before serving.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CHEESE STUFFED PASTA SHELLS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425° F. On a baking sheet, toss together the olive oil, butternut squash, thyme, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Lay the prosciutto over the squash. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until the prosciutto is crispy. Remove the prosciutto and set aside. If squash needs more time, return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender.2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain.3. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, fontina, and roasted butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper. 4. To assemble, spoon 2-3 cups marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Stuff each shell with 1 tablespoon of the cheese and place into the baking dish with sauce. Top with the remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. 5. Serve the shells topped with prosciutto and basil. Enjoy!

"NOT SO ITALIAN" BUTTERNUT STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Filling -- In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil on medium heat and saute the onion, garlic and scallion, just a minute or two. Add the orange liquor, orange zest, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and fresh sage. Cook just a minute until well coated, transfer to a large bowl and set to the side.
• Filling II -- Now in that same pan, add the butternut squash thawed right out of the box and just cook 1-2 minutes just to heat up and get any additional moisture out of the squash. Remove that and add to the bowl with the vegetables and bread crumbs. Add the ricotta in and mix well. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
• Pasta -- Cook the shells according to directions, however I remove a bit sooner as they will continue cooking in the oven. Just shy of being done. Remove from the heat, drain, cool and then stuff with the squash mixture.
• Bechamel Sauce -- In a small pot, add the butter and let melt on medium heat. Now add the flour to make a roux and cook just a minute to get the flour taste out. Add the cream and milk slowly and bring up to heat and let the sauce thicken. Add the seasoning and just let simmer till nice and creamy.
• Stuff and Bake -- Put the dish together and bake your shells. Oven to 375 preheated. Then spray a 13x9" casserole dish and put approximately 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom. Then line up your shells on top of the sauce. Top your shells with the bechamel and bake approximately 25 minutes covered for the first 15 then remove foil so they brown up.
• Let set just a few minutes 5 or so to set up, serve and top with any leftover sauce in the pan, sage and walnuts.

NO-BOIL STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the garlic, egg, ricotta, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Fold to combine. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and snip a 1/4-inch hole in the corner.
• Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pipe the ricotta mixture into the shells and arrange them opening-side up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce and 1 1/2 cups water.
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil, top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and bake until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the cheese is browned, about 10 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes. Top with the remaining parsley before serving.