Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
Creamy pumpkin stuffed shells! Cheesy stuffed shells topped with a pumpkin bechamel sauce– vegetarian and easily vegan.
I’ve got the perfect cozy fall meal for you: these cheesy pumpkin stuffed shells! I love a hearty pasta meal this time of year, and this pumpkin version is perfect for weeknights and the holidays. It’s the ultimate fall comfort food!
Make a quick filling with ricotta, parmesan, and spinach, stuff it into jumbo stuffed shells, and cover them with a silky pumpkin bechamel sauce.
See below for more details or scroll down to the full recipe.
Ingredient Notes
The pumpkin bechamel sauce is made from cauliflower, cashews, and pumpkin puree. It’s naturally dairy-free and so incredibly delicious!
This pumpkin sauce is really what makes this recipe, and it’s also great in other pasta recipes, like my pumpkin fettuccine.
To keep this recipe fully dairy-free, then I recommend using dairy-free ricotta and parmesan cheese. I like Kite Hill‘s ricotta cheese for a vegan option.
The spinach is nice to help cut through the richness of the filling, but you can use kale, swiss chard, or other green if you’d like. You can also skip it if you prefer.
Lastly, I like to top this with a small amount of parmesan cheese to help bind the sauce and shells together, but you can easily skip it.
How to Make These Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
Cook the Cauliflower and Cashews
Add the cauliflower and cashews to a pot and bring to a boil; simmer until soft.
Cook the garlic
Cook the garlic in a saucepan with the olive oil and cook until softened and fragrant. Let cool.
Make the Pumpkin Sauce
Add the cooked cauliflower, cashews, pumpkin, cooked garlic, salt and water to a blender (affiliate) and puree until creamy and smooth.
Cook the Spinach
Cook the spinach in a skillet until softened with garlic, olive oil and salt. Let cool and roughly chop.
Make the Filling
Whisk together the ricotta, parmesan cheese, spices and cooked, chopped spinach together.
Make the dish
Layer some of the pumpkin sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, then add in the stuffed shells. Cover with more pumpkin sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake until hot and bubbly.
Tips for Success
Make sure to use jumbo pasta shells for this recipe. The smaller ones won’t work the same way. Take care in draining them so they don’t break.
I also don’t recommend overfilling the shells; they should be able to fold easily and be “stuffed” when placed in the sauce.
You can use mozzarella cheese instead of parmesan cheese for cheesier stuffed shells.
These pumpkin stuffed shells can also be prepped ahead of time. You can make the filling and stuff the shells and make the sauce ahead of time, then assemble and bake before serving.
The sauce is the real star of this pumpkin stuffed shells dish and you can also warm the sauce and then pour it over the hot stuffed shells if you’d like. Make sure to cover the dish before baking so the sauce doesn’t dry out!
More Comforting Pumpkin Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pecan Bars
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Scones with Espresso Glaze
- Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Kale
If you make these pumpkin stuffed shells, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bechamel Sauce
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup water or low-sodium broth
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Stuffed ShellsÂ
- 12 ounces jumbo shells
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese*
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for topping*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- pinch nutmeg
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the shells according to package directions, then drain and rinse gently with cold water. Set aside.
Make the stuffed shells
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, spinach, and one minced garlic clove and cook until the spinach is just tender and wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside to cool, then roughly chop.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and chopped cooked spinach. Season to taste and set aside.
Make the pumpkin sauce
- Add the cashews, cauliflower and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes until cashews and cauliflower are softened—strain and place in the base of a blender.
- In the same skillet you used to cook the spinach, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook until just fragrant, taking care not to burn, about 30-60 seconds. Add all the contents to the same blender along with the pumpkin puree, salt, broth or water, and lemon juice. Puree until very creamy and smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Assemble
- Place a generous layer of the pumpkin sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13" roasting pan. Stuff the cooked shells with the spinach mixture, taking care not to overfill and place the stuffed shells into the pumpkin bechamel. Cover with the rest of the pumpkin sauce and sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese, if desired. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes until the sauce is hot and the cheese is melted, remove the foil and cook another 5 minutes, then remove and serve.