Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

This past summer, we moved our garden & really expanded it.  Our plan was to have tons of our favorite veggies growing.  I planted cucumbers, 50 million different varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, squash, etc.  I planted a bunch of yellow squash, because that’s my ultimate favorite.  I dreamed of fried squash & squash casserole galore. Sadly, the people who packaged the seeds at the seed company had different plans… Those big meanies 😉

As I watched my squash plants grow from tiny seedlings on up, my anticipation of my favorite squash foods was growing. That was, until, I noticed that what should have been tiny yellow crookneck squash was in fact tiny orange-ish butternut squash. Every. single. plant. You can’t even begin to imagine my disappointment. I don’t even think that disappointment even covers it.  It was a stinkin’ tragedy I tell you! In that instant, I literally felt like crying.  Ok, so maybe I did cry… a little.  Don’t judge.

Part of me hoped that somehow these little orange butternuts were going to miraculously turn into my beloved yellow squash… with the adorable crooked little necks.  But no – that didn’t happen.  Boo.

So, I was forced to make do – purchasing my yellow squash at the farmer’s market (instead of being the ‘farmer’ myself – boo again) & figuring out what to do with this so called ‘winter squash’ that was hereby growing in my Southern garden in the summer.  I harvested my butternut squash, and tried to choke back the tears as every single supposed yellow squash plant was bearing nothing of the sort.  I set to my kitchen, and piddled around with it to see what I could come up with.  I remember seeing a dish in a magazine somewhere along my life that made them into a pasta dish – but I couldn’t remember where.  So, I decided to wing it – just add a little of this & that and see where it led me.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

Where it led me was to the trash can to throw away the tissues that I had been cradling to my chest since I found out my yellow squash wasn’t making an appearance in my garden.  Not because I fell out in love with it at all – but because I fell so deeply in love with this dish!  It did take me a couple of times to ‘perfect’ it so to speak, but these butternut squash stuffed shells are quite frankly one of the best dishes I’ve ever put on the table.  Very different from the meals I usually make, but magnificent none the less!  My whole family just raved & raved about it – and almost got into a wrestling match any leftovers.

It was loved so much, that I went back & fine tuned the recipe a little more to where it makes enough for dinner AND enough to go in the freezer for a whole other meal in the future.  They freeze beautifully!  And, I absolutely love the concept of cooking once & eating twice.  It just makes this busy mom’s life so much easier! Plus, if you’re only cooking for 2 – you could freeze this in even smaller batches making a whole bunch of meals just waiting for you in the freezer.

You’re in – right?  Well, come follow along!  Here’s what you need:

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

First things first – we need to take care of that butternut squash.  One large one will do.  Peel the skin off the outside, and begin chopping it into small pieces.  The top narrower half won’t have seeds, but once you get to the bottom – there will be some seeds in there.  Once I get to that point, I slice those parts into 3/4″ thick cylinders & just slice off the ends – aka ‘the good portions’…. like so.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Place your chopped butternut squash into a roasting pan, and sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Cover with aluminum foil, & bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven & let cool to lukewarm.  You can also make this part a day in advance & refrigerate overnight… then pick up with the next part the following day.

Either with a potato masher, fork, blender, or food processor – puree your roasted butternut squash. The first time I tried creating this dish, I left the butternut squash in diced portions – and while the flavor was still really good… the butternut chunk texture kind of threw off the entire dish.  So, definitely puree (or mash) it!

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Quickly prepare the spinach.  Take a heaping 1 cup of frozen chopped spinach, & place in a microwavable bowl.  Add a splash of water & microwave for 2 minutes.  Let cool slightly, & then squeeze out any excess water.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the pureed butternut squash, minced garlic, the chopped spinach, 2 cups of ricotta cheese, 4 cups mozzarella cheese, 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 3 eggs, the zest of 2 lemons, & salt and pepper to taste.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Spray a 9×13 dish wish cooking spray, and begin filling your cooked jumbo pasta shells with the pasta filling.  Place half of the shells into the baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, & bake on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Place the other half of your shells in a baking dish or muffin tin (I use a square muffin tin) and place them in the freezer while the other ones are baking.  I’ll continue with the freezer preparation instruction at the bottom of this post.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

When there is about 15 minutes left on the timer for the shells, then begin making your lemon sage butter sauce.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a saute pan on medium heat until golden brown & bubbly.  Add 1/4 oz of sage leaves (about 16-20 sage leaves) into the butter – cook until slightly crisp.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Turn off the heat. Squeeze in the juice from the 2 lemons you zested previously. Stir in 2 tablespoons of cold butter.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Cool until warm, but not hot.

You should be taking the stuffed shells out of the oven by  now.  Sprinkle the shells with the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese & pop them back into the oven until the cheese is melted.  It should only take a couple of minutes.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Once the cheese is melted, remove from the oven & drizzle half of the lemon sage butter sauce on top.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

You should be on the brim of needing a bib from all the salivation you’re experiencing at this point 😉

Serve hot & enjoy.  This dish will rock your socks off.  Even if you’re already barefooted 😀

Freezer instructions to follow. 

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

Now, for the freezer part!

Once your shells are frozen on the baking sheet or muffin tin, remove them & place them in a large freezer safe plastic bag.  You could also use a freezer safe baking dish.  Then, pour the other half of the lemon sage butter sauce into a resealable freezer safe container.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce

 

To prepare after freezing, let thaw overnight in the fridge – or place both components in the fridge the morning you wish to make this. You could also use the defrost setting on your microwave in a pinch.  Prepare the shells the same way you would usually – by covering the dish with aluminum foil & baking at 350 for 30 minutes.  If the shells are still a little bit frozen, you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the cook time.

Warm your sauce on low in a small saucepan.  Pour on top of the cooked shells.

Butternut Squash & Spinach Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Butter Sauce