Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells {Super Creamy}

These Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells are the ultimate comfort food with a creamy sauce, turkey sausage filling and fresh mozzarella.

How to make stuffed shells

1. Roast the butternut squash.
2. Sauté the turkey sausage, kale and red onions.
3. Cook and drain the pasta.
4. Make the butternut squash sauce.
5. Stuff the shells.
6. Top with the sauce and cheese then bake.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients and substitutions

• Olive oil – this is just to roast the squash, so use any light cooking oil you prefer.
• Turkey sausage – skip a step and start with bulk turkey sausage or even just ground turkey. To keep it spicy, you can also use pork or Italian sausage.
• Red onion – you can use yellow or white onions instead, but they will add a slightly sharper onion flavour.
• Kale – substitute any type of sturdy greens like spinach, swiss chard or collard greens.
• Butternut squash – pumpkin puree, pre-cut butternut squash or acorn squash would work too.
• Milk – since this is to make the puree, use your preferred unsweetened milk alternative, coconut milk or vegetable or chicken broth.
• Parmesan cheese – Asiago or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese work just as well.
• Pasta shells – shells hold so much goodness, but you can stuff cooked manicotti instead if you prefer.
• Mozzarella cheese – any melty cheese like Swiss, provolone, or cheddar will make a great topping for these shells.

Making this recipe vegetarian

You can leave the meat out of these and still make them healthy and filling. Just replace the sausage with sautéed sliced mushrooms and/or roasted vegetables of your choice. You can also just use the kale and red onions and then mix them with ricotta cheese.

More filling ideas

• Broccoli and sausage: Chop up cooked broccoli and add it to the sausage mixture after it is cooked.
• Butternut squash and ricotta: Replace the milk and parmesan cheese with 2 cups of ricotta.
• Dinner leftovers: Use cooked squash or leftover sweet potatoes for the puree. You can even remove the marshmallow topping from sweet potato casserole and use that!
• Meat: Substitute sausage with leftover shredded turkey or chicken and some stuffing.
• Veggies: Chop extra Brussels sprouts and use them instead of the kale. Add cranberries for some tanginess. Top with gravy or cheese.

What you can make ahead

It’s easy to prep some of the ingredients before you put the shells together to bake.

Prepare and freeze the butternut squash puree, or refrigerate the puree up to 2 days in advance. Sauté the sausage and kale mixture and freeze it in freezer-safe storage bags or keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days in advance.

If you want to prepare the shells completely, fill them and put them in a baking dish tightly covered with foil. Keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bake as usual when you’re ready.

These pre-stuffed shells are also good for freeze for a future freezer meal! Simply pop into the oven and bake for 60-90 minutes from frozen.

Storing and reheating

Cooked and stuffed pasta shells can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

To reheat them, put them in a shallow oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 F until heated through – about 20 minutes.

For single servings, place them in a microwave-safe dish and add a little extra cheese on top. Cover and microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes and heated through.

Freezing stuffed shells

You can prepare the shells and freeze them before you bake them or freeze them after you bake them.

To freeze before baking, prepare the stuffed shells up until baking. Cover a freezer-safe container tightly with cling wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To bake and then freeze, let the shells cool to room temperature before covering and freezing.

Reheat by thawing overnight in the fridge or cook directly from frozen in a 350 F oven. Thawed stuffed shells will take about 30-45 minutes to reheat; frozen shells will take about 60-90 minutes.

More butternut squash recipes

• Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash 3 Ways
• Butternut Squash Chicken Curry

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers.
• My Vitamix is a must have for sauces, soups and purees.
• An Immersion blender is a cheaper way to blend things up.