Secret Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Brown Butter Alfredo Sauce

The creamy butternut filling for these stuffed pasta shells is lightened up with a secret ingredient.  Plus, brown butter alfredo sauce!  Need I say more?

Secret Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Brown Butter Alfredo Sauce

These stuffed shells are another favorite way to enjoy butternut squash. I’ve used a secret ingredient in these shells to lighten up the filling – cottage cheese. The cottage cheese blends in with the squash, adds some creaminess, and I find that I hardly know it’s there when I’m eating these shells. If cottage cheese is just not your thing, go ahead and substitute ricotta.

Secret Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Brown Butter Alfredo Sauce

The creamy butternut filling for these stuffed pasta shells is lightened up with a secret ingredient. Plus, brown butter alfredo sauce! Need I say more?

Ingredients
For the Stuffed Shells:

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 24 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 cup cottage cheese*
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

For the Brown Butter Sage Alfredo Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups lowfat milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Directions
Roast the squash:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash into ½-inch pieces. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, until tender, stirring halfway through. Remove from the oven and lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Cook the pasta shells:
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook according to package directions for al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and lay shells on a sheet of parchment paper to cool.
While the squash and pasta cook, prepare the brown butter alfredo sauce:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until brown flecks appear in the butter. Be very careful as the butter can go from brown to burned very quickly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the garlic. Slowly whisk in the flour; return the pan to the heat and whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
Fill the shells:
Scoop the roasted squash into a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash the squash. Add the cottage cheese and ½ cup of the alfredo sauce and stir to combine.
Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of the squash mixture into each shell and place shells, seam side up, in the baking dish. Pour the remaining alfredo sauce over the shells. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts. Bake, uncovered, for 12-15 minutes until hot. Serve.

More Recipe, source: kristineskitchenblog.com