Baked Acorn Squash, 3 Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells in Tomato by Delores Burkart

SHOT 1: Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cut 1 medium sized acorn squash in half. ( Can substitute with butternut squash or canned pureed pumpkin )
With a large spoon, remove the seeds and stringy membrane. Rub the inside with 1 T extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Wrap in foil and bake in the oven until tender. Approx. 45 – 60 mins.
Take out of the oven and spoon out the tender squash. Mash well. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

 

SHOT 2:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Assemble your ingredients:

35 – 40 Jumbo size pasta shells
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 Tsp. salt

2 1/2 C dry Cottage Cheese or fat free Ricotta
1/4 C grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 C grated sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 C grated partly skimmed Mozzarella Cheese
1/8 C chopped fresh parsley ( or 2 tbsp. dried )
1 large egg
Mashed squash.
1/2 large onion diced
Ground Black Pepper
1 T extra virgin olive oil

3 C of homemade or canned Marinara sauce. (I make my own with frozen tomatoes from my garden spiced with lots of basil, oregano and garlic ......yummy good).

 

SHOT 3: In a large pot, boil water with 1 T olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Add the pasta shells to the boiling water and cook until al dente. (tender but still a bit of bite) Approx. 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine: 2 C of cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese, chopped parsley, mashed squash, 1 egg and a dash of ground black pepper. Mix well.

SHOT 4:Top the stuffed shells with the diced onion and 3 C Marinara sauce.. Cover the pan with foil.

Bake in the 350 F oven for approx. 30 mins. (until it is bubbly ) Remove the foil and bake another 10 – 15 mins.

 

 

SHOT 5:
Enjoy as a side dish or on its own with a tossed green salad !