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A few weeks ago, I shared with you my recipe for slow cooker no-bake stuffed shells. Then I got to thinking about a conversation I had with an old co-worker several years ago. When I was living in the Quad Cities, there was an Italian place called Biaggi’s, which served fantastic butternut squash ravioli every fall. My co-worker had asked me how she could recreate the butternut squash flavor without actually making ravioli. I told her to make stuffed shells!
When I set off to try and test this recipe, I figured I would find canned butternut puree, since that would make this meal more attainable for weeknight dinners. Instead, I found store-bought butternut squash soup, and I decided to make a flip. I stuffed my shells with cheese, sausage, and spinach, but used this store-bought butternut soup as my sauce for the shells to cook in
This Butternut Squash Soup
Now I have ideas rolling around in my head about using healthy, premade soups for baked ziti, chowders, and possibly a sauce in a lasagna. This is also a much healthier alternative to using a cream-based or an alfredo sauce on your butternut shells.
What you need to make Slow Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
A slow cooker.
ricotta cheese
One egg
Italian Sausage or chicken
spinach
1 32 ounces container of butternut squash soup
mozzarella cheese
If you happen to have a cookie scoop
The real beauty of this stuffed shells recipe is that it is no-bake and that it is so much easier to fill shells that have not been cooked. It is much less messy that way! I stuffed these shells with sausage, spinach, and ricotta cheese. I bet these shells would also taste great with
Bacon
Parmesan Cheese
Shredded Chicken
goat cheese
The possibilities are endless!
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No Bake Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 1 32 ounce container butternut squash soup
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 10 ounce container Ricotta Cheese
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Slow Cooker Directions
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Set your slow cooker to low. Pour 1/2 the soup container into your slow cooker.
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Cook Italian Sausage and drain.
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Add some water to the spinach and cook until it is wilted.
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In a bowl, mix cooked Italian sausage, spinach, ricotta cheese, and the egg.
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Line the bottom of your slow cooker with uncooked jumbo shells.
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Using a cookie scoop or spoon, stuff each shell with the ricotta/sausage filling.
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Pour the remainder of the soup over the stuffed shells. attempting to cover the top of each shell with liquid.
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Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. Top with mozzarella cheese a few minutes before eating.
Instant Pot Directions
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Set your Instant Pot to saute and cook the sausage. remove sausage and drain.
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In a bowl, mix wilted spinach, ricotta cheese, the egg, and sausage.
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Pour 1/2 the soup on the bottom of your Instant Pot.
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Stuff each jumbo shell with the filling, and place the shells in your instant pot.
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Pour the rest of the soup on top of the shells.
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Pressure cook on manual for 8 minutes
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Do a quick release.
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Put mozzarella cheese on top while it is still warm.
This recipe went over really well with my kids. They were a little skeptical at first because they thought the butternut sauce was a cheese sauce. :0 But after that, they gobbled this right up!
