Butternut Squash, Corn and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

This recipe initially came to be because I wanted to create something for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is a holiday with harvest origin and a lot of the food surrounds fruits and vegetables. It is also customary to enjoy these meals inside a ‘hut’ to represent the dwellings of the Jews in the desert on their journey to Israel. It also has a representation of the dwellings the farmers lived in during harvest season.

This recipe is the perfect meal to share with friends and family in the sukkah. It is one of my most favourite creations yet and will be sure to become a family staple.

Run to the store because you need to make these pasta shells asap! They are worth gossiping about!

Butternut Squash, Corn and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

Yield: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 box large pasta shells
1 bottle marinara
1 bottle alfredo sauce (or homemade, recipe below)
Filling:
1 500g pkg dry pressed cottage cheese
1 cup mashed butternut squash
1 corn stalk, just the kernels
1 egg
1/2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh parsley, finely shopped
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt/pepper, to taste
Alfredo Sauce
1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk or cream
3 tbsp cream cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling
Pinch of nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together. Set aside.
2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, boil the pasta shells just until pliable but not yet cooked all the way through. Drain, set aside.
3. Once slightly cooled, take a pasta shell one by one and fill each one with about 2 tsp of filling or until the shell is full. Place in a greased 9x13 baking pan stuffed side up. Continue until all the shells are filled or you run out of filling.
4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Place garlic and lemon zest into butter for a minute but be careful not to burn. Whisk in flour until butter and flour are combined to a thick consistency. Add milk while whisking the mixture until smooth. Add in cheeses, nutmeg and pepper. Whisk until smooth and cheeses are melted. Simmer another 3-5 minutes.
5. Using a large tbsp, spoon one spoonful of the alfredo sauce and one spoonful of the marinara sauce on each stuffed shell. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese.
6. Cover and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover, bake an additional 10 minutes. Enjoy!
*Note: I used both sauces, but only took photos with the alfredo sauce. You don’t have to add the marinara sauce, but I like the variety and the fact that it cuts the creaminess.