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Even though I love stuffed shells - Who doesn’t? It’s pasta in a cute little package. - I have never actually made them, not even once in my entire life. I’ve collected quite a few recipes for different variations thereof - chicken, tuna, fish, and more - but I’ve never actually buckled down and really tried one of the recipes.
The only thing holding me back? The shells. I know, silly, right? For one thing, I usually prefer to buy pasta that is whole grain or semi-whole grain, and those varieties don’t usually come in the jumbo shell size. For another, I almost never buy anything at the grocery store unless it’s on sale, and for some reason, jumbo shell pasta never goes on sale. Soooo… I never bought shells, and therefore never made any stuffed shells.
The Secret Recipe Club this month was the impetus I needed to actually get to the store, buy some shells and try a stuffed shell recipe for once! Funny how a deadline will do that for you. I found an amazing recipe for butternut squash and sage cannelloni on my assigned blog, Katherine Martinelli, and knew instantly that it would work perfectly for my October theme of Pumpkins, Spice and Everything Nice.
What does that have to do with shells? Just do a mental leap with me from cannelloni to shells; it’s not really that far of a leap, both shapes of pasta having that desirable stuff-able quality. For one thing, my store didn’t have cannelloni, and for another, I decided to fulfill my lifelong dream of making stuffed shells.
And I did, only I didn’t use butternut squash, I used - and I know this just shocks you - pumpkin! And, um, I didn’t use sage either; I had a bottle of Chinese 5-spice in my cupboard that had been calling my name and seemed like the perfect enhancement for a savory pumpkin dish.
And, Katherine, I really did make your recipe, I swear it! But the adaptations didn’t end there. Since I am currently dairy-free right now, I had to come up with substitutions for the dairy products. What I used:
- chicken broth instead of heavy cream
- faux buttermilk instead of sour cream (I would have used plain non-dairy yogurt if I had it on hand)
- extra-virgin olive oil for the butter
- rice milk for the whole milk
- mozzarella for my DH (because that’s what I had) instead of parmesan; no cheese for mine
I call my version of the Bechamel Sauce “Poor Man’s Bechamel”, not because rice milk is any cheaper than regular whole milk - unfortunately, that is not the case! - but because rice milk is a rather poor imitation of the real thing. If you drink cow’s milk, do yourself a favor and use that instead. But if you’re dairy-free for any reason, non-dairy milks make a fair representation of bechamel sauce.
Pumpkin Stuffed Shells with Chinese Five-Spice
adapted from Katherine Martinelli
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling:
- 2 small-medium pie pumpkins
- 1/2 head garlic
- 1 tsp Chinese Five-Spice Powder
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup “buttermilk” (milk or non-dairy milk with lemon juice) or plain yogurt or sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Poor Man’s Bechamel:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups rice milk
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
Shells:
- 6 oz. jumbo shells
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, optional
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to poke holes in the pumpkin. Microwave for 1 or 2 minutes, and let cool. Using a sharp knife, cut each pumpkin in half; scoop out seeds and pulp. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Wrap the garlic head in foil and place on the sheet with the pumpkins. Bake at 350F until pumpkin can easily be pierced with a paring knife, and garlic is cooked through, about half an hour.
- Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into a large bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic, one clove at a time, into the bowl. Add Chinese Five-Spice Powder, and stir all together, mashing the pumpkin flesh as necessary until you have the texture you desire. (You can also use a stick blender to puree it.)
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into a pot, and stir in the broth and buttermilk or yogurt. Bring to a boil; then simmer until desired thickness and consistency is achieved. Salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-low heat; add flour one TBSP at a time, whisking until well blended. Slowly stir in rice milk until it is incorporated. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and simmer until for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in seasonings.
- Cook and drain shells according to package directions.
- Spread a thin layer of the bechamel sauce in a 9×13 and a square pan. Place the shells on the sauce. Gently stuff each shell with a spoonful or two of the pumpkin filling. Spoon the remaining bechamel sauce over all the stuffed shells. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes; add mozzarella cheese if using, and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
I absolutely love Katherine’s whole concept of using squash as the filling for the pasta, and my next butternut squash is going to go to making this recipe with her chosen flavors of squash, sage, and nutmeg.
This is not my normal QUICK dinner recipe, which is what I love about the SRC: It forces you to step outside of your comfort zone on occasion and try something new.
It’s also not super EASY, with the multiple steps. Katherine’s cookery is a lot fancier than my usual lazy style, but I also love to have recipes like this for special occasions and guests.
It’s not CHEAP, either, that’s for sure. Like I said, pasta shells are not usually in the budget, and I had to use a whole carton of rice milk for the bechamel. Totally worth it, though!
As far as pasta recipes go, though, it’s pretty HEALTHY with the super-food pumpkin serving as the main component.
Does the Secret Recipe Club Sound like fun? Read more about it here.
I adore Katherine’s blog and this recipe was such a great choice! Love the idea of this pumpkin filling and your rice milk bechamel actually looks really good
Winnie recently posted..Peanut Butter and Jam Scones
Thanks! IT wasn’t too bad, actually, when blended with the pumpkin filling and pasta.
Five spice in the bechamel sounds wonderful paired with the pumpkin, yum!
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC recipe this month: Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Lisa~~ recently posted..Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
It was quite yummy, thanks!
Your quite a trooper to have been able to adapt the recipe to your needs. Great work. They look delish.
NO REASON NEEDED recently posted..Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats
Thanks! I’ve gotten kind of used to the adaptations, and they get easier as I go along.
They look delicious! Love the combination of ingredients.
Melissa@IWasBornToCook recently posted..Global warming (Secret Recipe Club)
Thanks!
Oh wow I just love your adaptations!! Seriously, so creative. Yes, this is definitely not an everyday dish (I came up with it for company) but love the flavors you’ve put to work here. I am so impressed - looks delicious!!
Oh, thank you! I didn’t want to offend you by totally altering your recipe! have some leftover shells, and I want to try the butternut squash and sage filling next.
Ooooh this recipe sounds great! I really like stuffed shells…glad you got the chance to make them!
sara recently posted..Swedish Rhubarb-Ginger Spice Bread
I love stuffed shells; now I just have to make them more often!
What a rad way to use pumpkin! Looks super yummy!
I love that you used the word rad
And thanks!
Love a good carb fix at this time of the year!
Ruchi recently posted..Banana Chocolate Cupcakes - Secret Recipe Club
or any time of year…. LOL!
I love fall for all these pumpkin recipes! I’ve been making all different pumpkin pastas but I hadn’t thought of shells-yours look delicious!
This was such a delicious and healthy filling for shells - try it and see! I think you’ll love it.
A whole month of pumpkin and spice? That sounds wonderful! (Or are you getting sick of it?) Katherine always inspires me, and sometimes I need an extra push to try a more complicated recipe. Well done on fulfilling your dream of making stuffed pasta shells!
sarah, simply cooked recently posted..spicy split pea dip
Haha! I could never get sick of pumpkins:) This is my favorite time of year when it comes to culinary pursuits, now through December.
This sounds like a really interesting mix! Might have to try it out.
Stacy @ Every Little Thing recently posted..SRC: Peanut Maple Nuggets
Definitely! Pumpkins and five spice were an inspired combination:)
I bet when you take the first bite, you can’t tell the difference. Pumpkin must be a good compliment for all that pasta and sauce! Good pick
Ilke recently posted..Cheese Puffs or Fancier: Gougeres…
Honestly, you’re right; when the sauce is all mixed up with the pasta and the pumpkin filling, it’s not as noticeable that it’s non-dairy. On other foods, it’s a little bit more noticeable, but with this recipe, it blended in nicely.
Ha! I thought I was the only one to have never made stuffed shells before. I did for the first time last week, and they turned out great. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Nope, you’re not the only one. And too funny that we both made them for the first time around the same time!
Sounds like a recipe worth that splurge!
Shelby recently posted..Chocolate Coated Caramel Apples
I love the idea of the shells stuffed with pumpkin. I too always think stuffed pasta is a great idea and save recipes, but most of them are meaty or cheese and spinach. This would be lovely on a fall evening.
susie recently posted..Secret Recipe Club Loaded Colossal Cookie
Yummy!! I use my Pampered chef med. scoop to fill shells when I make them.
Kirstin recently posted..Recipe: Oat and Nut Granola Bars
I love making stuffed shells, with the influx of squash I know is coming, I will have to try both versions!
Jo recently posted..The Daring Cooks: Moo Shu!
This sounds so yummy! I’m excited to try the flavor combination soon!
Jey @ The Jey of Cooking recently posted..Slow Cooker Rootbeer Pulled Pork.
What an interesting take on the original recipe. I love the way you adapted the recipe to fit your tastes and situation. Your shells look very tasty! I LOVE pumpkin and sage!!!
I have a bag of giant pasta shells lurking in the cupboard, love the sound of the pumpkin and 5 spice combination to fill them with!