We enjoy all sorts of pasta in our house, including stuffed shells. My son also loves sausage. These shells are perfect for the fall: they have a little spice from ground Italian sausage and extra creaminess from a little pumpkin puree snuck into the mix.
You will need:
- 1 box jumbo shells, parboiled and rinsed in cool water according to directions
- 1 lb Italian sausage, removed from casings, crumbled and browned
- 1 c ricotta cheese
- 1 c pumpkin puree
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3 T fresh sage, finely minced
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1/2 t pepper
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 c grated Parmesan
- 1/2 c shredded Italian cheeses
- 2 jars of your favorite tomato sauce
Then you will…
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked sausage with the ricotta, pumpkin, egg, sage, garlic, pepper salt and grated Parmesan.
- Stuff a shell with the sausage mixture and place in the prepared baking dish.
- Repeat until you can’t fit more shells in the dish.
- If you end up with extra sausage mixture, sprinkle it over the tops of the shells in the dish.
- Spread enough sauce over the tops of the shells to cover them.
- Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Remove the foil and set the foil aside.
- Sprinkle the top with shredded Italian cheese.
- Bake another 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before serving.
