"not so Italian" Butternut Stuffed Shells
Source: www.food.com/recipe/not-so-italian-butternut-stuffed-shells-385798
Ingredients
- 12 ounces jumbo pasta shells (1 box)
- 18 ounces butternut squash (2 boxes frozen, Birds Eye has 9 oz boxes, you need 3 cups) or 18 ounces winter squash (2 boxes frozen, Birds Eye has 9 oz boxes, you need 3 cups)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 12 cup scallion, green and whites
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 13 cup dried plain breadcrumbs
- 1 shallot, minced (small)
- 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped fine (1 1/2 for the filling, 1 1/2 for garnish)
- 1 cup walnuts (fine chopped as a garnish)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups heavy cream (you can substitute milk if you want to cut fat)
- 1 12 cups milk
- 14 teaspoon nutmeg
- 18 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 12 teaspoon kosher salt
- 14 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
- 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.