Sausage, Spinach and Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Butter
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh garlic
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 2 links Italian sausage
- 4-5 cups butternut squash cubes
- 1 box of Stouffer’s Creamed Spinach cooked*
- 1 box frozen chopped spinach cooked, drained, and squeeze dried
- 1 cup part skim ricotta
- 4 oz grated Parmesan cheese divided
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup 1/2 n 1/2 cream
- 1 box jumbo pasta shells
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- 2 T fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Cut off the top of garlic head and place on a square of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, wrap up and roast at 400 for 1 hour.
- Put squash cubes on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season. Place pan in oven with garlic and roast for 30-35 minutes.
- Put squash cubes in a large bowl and puree with an immersion blender. Set aside.
- Brown sausage and drain on paper towels.
- Cook onion in scant amount of sausage drippings until translucent.
- Add onion and sausage to squash puree.
- Squeeze roasted garlic head into squash mixture.
- Combine spinach, ricotta and 3 oz. Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add to squash mix and stir gently to combine.
- Cook pasta shells until just starting to soften, put not completely done. Drain.
- Spray a 9 x 13″ baking dish with cooking oil spray and drizzle just a little cream in bottom of pan, just to add a little moisture.
- Stuff pasta shells with squash mix and place tightly in pan. Sprinkle remaining 1 oz. Parmesan over all. Cover with foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
- Loosen foil before baking so dish is lightly covered and bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes until hot. Melt butter in a small sauce pan and add sage leaves. Cook 3-4 minutes and add lemon juice. Cook 1-2 minutes longer and then pour butter sauce over cooked pasta shells and then serve. Makes 8 servings
Notes
*Or substitute with another box frozen chopped spinach, cooked, drained, and squeeze dried and another cup ricotta