Does the perfect autumn pasta exist? I think so, and here it is. These scrumptious pumpkin and wild mushroom stuffed shells with gruyere and ricotta cheese make for an amazing fall meal. And they are baked in a delicious pumpkin sauce until the cheese gets nice and melty.
Crunchy walnuts add the perfect bit of texture. And a dusting of freshly grated nutmeg perfectly compliments the umami and nutty flavours of these stuffed shells. Those deep pockets of stuffed pasta are divine to cut into. And it's really quite easy to make.
Looking for more delicious recipes to make with pumpkin? Try these soft pumpkin cookies for a tasty treat, or pumpkin French toast for a wonderful fall breakfast.
Ingredients
- Jumbo pasta shells
- Olive oil - Or your favourite neutral cooking oil.
- Onion
- Wild mushrooms - You can use whatever edible wild mushrooms you prefer. I found these beautiful chanterelles and oyster mushrooms at the market.
- Garlic cloves
- Walnuts - To add some texture.
- Red pepper flakes - To add a tiny hint of spice.
- Gruyère cheese - A sweet, nutty, and slightly salty cheese from Gruyères, Switzerland. It adds a nutty creaminess that is just perfect for these pumpkin stuffed shells.
- Ricotta cheese - A soft and creamy Italian cheese that is excellent for stuffing pastas.
- Pumpkin purée - If you are using canned pumpkin purée, ensure that it is 100% pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Milk
- Chicken stock or vegetable broth
- Brown sugar - To add a touch of sweetness that goes beautifully in this dish.
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg - If you can't get whole nutmeg to grate, you can use a ground nutmeg. I highly recommend grating it fresh if you can though. It really makes a difference.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
- Gruyère - The best substitutes are Emmental, Beaufort, Jarlsberg, Raclette, or Comté. Comté is the French equivalent of Gruyère cheese. If you don't have access to any of these, mozzarella cheese (though not quite the same) would also be delicious in this recipe.
- Ricotta - You can substitute with cottage cheese, which has a similar mild flavour but is less creamy.
- Chicken stock - Substitute with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
- Pumpkin purée - You can substitute with another squash purée, such as butternut squash.
Note for Japanese readers: This recipe was made with Western-style pumpkin, not kabocha squash. However, you could use kabocha as a substitute.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C and grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Grate the Gruyère cheese.
Prep the vegetables by chopping the mushrooms, dicing the onion, and mincing the cloves of garlic.
In a large pot, cook the jumbo pasta shells in salted water according to package directions. It doesn't hurt to cook a couple extra in case some get torn or otherwise damaged. Once cooked, drain the shells, toss them in some olive oil, and set them aside for now.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then sauté the diced onion until it softens.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, walnut pieces, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked and tender.
Add in the ricotta and half of the Gruyère cheese. Stir them into the mushroom mixture until the cheeses have melted. Taste test and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, milk, chicken stock, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and some freshly grated nutmeg.
Take ¼ cup (60 ml) of this sauce and mix it into the mushroom-cheese mixture. Use half of the remaining pumpkin sauce to cover the bottom of the greased baking dish.
Stuff each of the shells with the mushroom-cheese mixture and place them into the baking dish in two rows to support each other so that the shells don't tip over.
Spoon the remaining pumpkin sauce on top of the stuffed shells. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil cover. Sprinkle the other half of the grated Gruyère cheese on top of the shells.
Bake it, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes for the cheese to melt.
To serve, spoon some of the baked pumpkin sauce onto your serving plates. Place the shells on top, being careful to not mess up that beautiful melted cheese. Top them off with some freshly grated nutmeg.
Your delicious pumpkin and mushroom stuffed shells with cheese are now ready to eat.
Equipment
To make this recipe you will need the following:
- 9"x13" baking dish - Or, another similarly sized baking dish.
- Large skillet
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Aluminum foil
- Cheese grater
- Fine grater - For grating the nutmeg.
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Storage
These pumpkin and mushrooms stuffed shells with cheese make great leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Reheat in the microwave or place in an oven-safe dish covered with aluminum foil at 375°F/190°C until heated through.
FAQ
This recipe makes three servings of four jumbo stuffed shells each. You can easily double or triple the recipe to make as many as you need.
Yes, if you use vegetable broth rather than chicken stock this recipe is vegetarian.
📖 Recipe
Wild Mushroom Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: American
Description
Scrumptious pumpkin and wild mushroom stuffed shells with gruyere and ricotta cheese are baked until the cheese gets nice and melty.
Ingredients
12 jumbo pasta shells
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ onion, diced
8 ounces (227g) wild mushrooms, chopped *
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup (30g) walnuts, chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
100 g Gruyère cheese, grated and divided **
¾ cup (188g) ricotta cheese
1 cup (225g) pumpkin purée
½ cup (118ml) milk
½ cup (118ml) chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt
freshly ground pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C and grease a 9"x13" baking dish. Grate the Gruyère cheese.
Prep the vegetables by chopping the mushrooms, dicing the onion, and mincing the cloves of garlic.
In a large pot, cook the jumbo pasta shells in salted water according to package directions. It doesn't hurt to cook a couple extra in case some get torn or otherwise damaged. Once cooked, drain the shells, toss them in some olive oil, and set them aside for now
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then sauté the diced onion until it softens.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic, walnut pieces, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked and tender.
Add in the ricotta and half of the Gruyère cheese. Stir them into the mushroom mixture until the cheeses have melted. Taste test and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, milk, chicken stock, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and some freshly grated nutmeg.
Take ¼ cup (60 ml) of this sauce and mix it into the mushroom-cheese mixture. Use half of the remaining pumpkin sauce to cover the bottom of the greased baking dish.
Stuff each of the shells with the mushroom-cheese mixture and place them into the baking dish in two rows to support each other so that the shells don't tip over.
Spoon the remaining pumpkin sauce on top of the stuffed shells. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil cover. Sprinkle the other half of the grated Gruyère cheese on top of the shells.
Bake it, uncovered, for an additional 10 minutes for the cheese to melt.
To serve, spoon some of the baked pumpkin sauce onto your serving plates. Place the shells on top, being careful to not mess up that beautiful melted cheese. Top them off with some freshly grated nutmeg.
Notes
* Any variety of edible wild mushrooms can be used for this recipe - chanterelles, morels, shiitake, oyster, etc. I used chanterelles and oyster mushrooms.
** Gruyère cheese is fairly easy to find. However, if you need, the best substitutes are Emmental, Beaufort, Jarlsberg, Raclette, or Comté. Comté is the French equivalent of the Swiss Gruyère. Mozzarella (though not the same) would also taste good in this recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 913
- Sugar: 12.4 g
- Sodium: 610.9 mg
- Fat: 36.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 106.5 g
- Protein: 41.6 g
- Cholesterol: 83.3 mg
Keywords: pumpkin stuffed shells
Greta says
This does my heart good as a lover of pasta. Super delicious and comforting. Thank you.
Asha says
Thanks so much!
Bev says
This is definitely one of my new favourite autumn meals. Although I expect I will sneak it in during some other seasons. Thank you for sharing.
Asha says
Thanks for the review 🙂
Katia says
All my favourite foods - pasta, wild mushrooms, pumpkin. This is like a taste of heaven.
Asha says
Thank you!
Pam says
Absolutely delightful - every bite!!!
Asha says
Thanks so much
Nick B. says
Flavour is absolutely fabulous.
Asha says
Thank you!
Clayton says
These shells turned out perfectly. Love this conbination of flavours.
Asha says
Thanks Clayton, that's great to hear.
Liz says
This meal is so comforting. Some foods are just like that.
Asha says
Thanks so much. Completely agree ❤️
Heidi says
Great combination of flavours. Will definitely keep this recipe.
Asha says
Thank you!
Holly G says
Delicious recipe. Thanks.
Asha says
Thank you 🙂