Stuffed Pasta Shells

These vegan stuffed pasta shells are filled to the brim with roasted butternut squash, creamy white beans and aromatic sage. Topped with cheese and panko breadcrumbs and baked in a creamy tomato sauce.

Honestly, this dish is so tasty! The filling is soft and creamy with a lovely hum from the truffle oil (which is optional, however, it does compliment the garlic and butter beans wonderfully) and then the chewy and crispy shells embedded into a luxurious and creamy tomato sauce. Take my word for it, make this recipe, you will not be disappointed.

Serves: 4

Time: 55 mins from prep to plate

Ingredients

400g Dried Pasta Shells

1 Medium Butternut Squash, diced

1 tin of Butter beans

2 Sprigs of fresh thyme

4 Shallots, diced

6 Fresh Sage Leaves

75ml White Wine or White Vermouth

6 Garlic cloves, crushed

Glug of Truffle oil

Dash of ground nutmeg

50g Nutty Parm or Vegan Parmesan

50g Panko breadcrumbs

1 Cup Passata

1/4 cup Semi-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup Almond milk

A handful of fresh basil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and prep your butternut squash. Cut the squash in half lengthways and with a vegetable peeler, remove the skin. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and dice into 2 cm cubes.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper if you have it, arrange the cubes on the baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and throw in 2 garlic cloves. Bake in the oven until fork-tender, around 20 mins. Once soft, remove the thyme sprigs, squeeze the soft, roasted garlic from their skins and add to a bowl along with the roasted squash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells as per packet instructions or until al dente, so they have a little bite to them. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside ready for filling.

Dice two shallots, and 3 garlic cloves and fry in a pan on medium heat until translucent. Drain the butter beans and tip into the pan, add the sage leaves and allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds. Tip in the white wine or vermouth and cook off until the wine has evaporated. After around 3-4 minutes add the mixture from the pan to the bowl with the butternut squash and mash everything roughly with a fork. Drizzle with a little truffle oil and season well with salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Set aside.

Clean your frying pan and add a little olive oil. Fry the remaining shallots, crushed garlic and tip in the semi-dried tomatoes. Fry on a medium to low heat until the shallots are translucent then add the passata. Season well with salt and pepper, add the almond milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

It's time to assemble your shells, in a large baking dish tip in 3/4 quarters of the tomato sauce and spread evenly along the bottom. Take a pasta shell and with a tablespoon, fill with the butternut squash and white bean mixture and nestle into the tomato sauce, filling facing upwards. Repeat until all the pasta shells are filled and in the baking dish. Top each of the pasta shells with a sprinkle of my nutty parm or vegan parmesan/vegan cheese and then a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs for an added crunch. Once all the shells are filled and topped, drizzle the remaining tomato sauce over the shells. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until the breadcrumbs are crispy and golden on top.

Serve with fresh basil leaves, a simple salad or some focaccia.

H x

I really hope you enjoyed this recipe if you make it please tag me @hannahsbitchinkitchen on Instagram of @HBKonline on Facebook.

If you liked this recipe, why not try my Spaghetti Puttanesca?