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    You are here: Home / Entrees / Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

    LAST UPDATED: November 19, 2018 • FIRST PUBLISHED: November 19, 2018

    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

    An Italian classic with a twist! These vegan stuffed shells are bursting with creamy dairy-free ricotta and baked in velvety butternut squash sauce. Perfect for holiday dinners, or any occasion worthy of some serious vegan comfort food!

    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells on a Plate with Fork, Napkin and Drinking Glass

    Have you figured out your Thanksgiving menu yet? I hope so! With three days to go I've got my fingers crossed that everyone has their menu planned and ingredients purchased. I know what I'm eating, but haven't managed to pick up all my ingredients yet. I've got a trip to Trader Joe's planned later today. Pray for me.

    Assuming you do know what you're eating on Thanksgiving, hang on to this recipe for Christmas, New Years, or any old day you want something special for dinner.

    (Oh, and then there's always the possibility that you thought you had your Thanksgiving menu figured out and now you've got a hankering for some stuffed shells. In which case, I'm so sorry!)

    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells in a Baking Pan with Serving Spoon

    These shells start with roasted butternut squash and onions, which will go in the shells and in the sauce. There's so much butternut squash goodness going on here!

    The vegan ricotta is made with my go-to mixture of cashew cream and tofu. But instead of seasoning it up with Italian spices like I normally do, I added some fresh sage to this batch. Once you've mixed up the ricotta in the food processor, stir in some of your roasted butternut squash and onion.

    Collage Showing Steps for Making Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shell Filling: Blend Vegan Ricotta in Food Processor, and Stir in Roasted Butternut Squash

    Next, make the sauce. Blend up the rest of your roasted squash and onion with some non-dairy milk and a touch of nutmeg. It should be smooth, creamy, and a bit thicker than butternut squash soup.

    Collage Showing Before and After Shots of Butternut Squash Sauce in a Food Processor for Making Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

    Ladle some of the sauce into a baking pan, then stuff your shells and nestle them together in the pan.

    Collage Showing Steps for Assembling Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells: Ladle Sauce into Baking Pan, then Stuff Shells and Place them into the Baking Pan

    Bake until hot and bubbly, then ladle the rest of your sauce on top before serving.

    Tips for Making Amazing Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

    • Save time on the day of serving by making the sauce and ricotta a day in advance. The sauce will thicken up in the fridge, so you may need to thin it with a bit of non-dairy milk before assembling the dish.
    • This recipe makes about 20 shells, but I recommend boiling a few extra because at least a couple will probably break during boiling or stuffing.
    • Not into tofu? Leave it out and try doubling the cashews.
    • Can't have cashews? Skip them and double the tofu!
    • Leftovers are freezer-friendly. Just seal them up and freeze. Then, when you're ready to eat them, thaw and microwave or bake until they're hot.

    Overhead View of Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells on a Plate with Fork and Drinking Glass

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells on a Plate with Fork, Napkin and Drinking Glass
    4.8 from 5 votes
    Print

    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

    An Italian classic with a twist! These vegan stuffed shells are bursting with creamy dairy-free ricotta and baked in velvety butternut squash sauce. Perfect for holiday dinners, or any occasion worthy of some serious vegan comfort food!

    Course Entree
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 25 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour
    Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
    Servings 6
    Calories 455 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    Roasted Veggies (For the Filling and Sauce)

    • 3 pounds butternut squash, diced (½ inch, about 6 cups)
    • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil

    For the Vegan Ricotta Cheese

    • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
    • ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, divided
    • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 7 ounces extra firm tofu, drained (half of a 14 ounce package)
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

    For the Shells

    • 6 ounces dried jumbo pasta shells (18 - 20 shells - half of a 12 ounce box)

    For the Sauce

    • 1 ½ cups light coconut milk
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste

    For Serving

    • Chopped fresh parsley and/or sage, optional

    Instructions

    Roast the Veggies

    1. Preheat the oven to 400°. 

    2. Place the onions and squash on a large baking sheet or in a roasting pan and toss with the olive oil until coated.

    3. Roast the squash and onion for about 30 minutes, until tender, flipping about halfway through. Leave the oven on when you remove the baking sheet.

    Cook the Shells

    1. While the squash and onions roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions.

    2. Drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot. Toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.

    Make the Vegan Ricotta Cheese

    1. Place the cashews, onion, garlic, and ¼ cup of milk into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. 

    2. Blend to a smooth paste, then drizzle in another ¼ cup of milk.

    3. Break the tofu into a few chunks and add it to the food processor, along with the lemon juice, salt, and sage. Pulse until the mixture takes on a chunky, ricotta-like consistency.

    4. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl. When the butternut squash and onion mixture comes out of the oven, gently stir 1 cup of it into the ricotta.

    Make the Sauce

    1. Wipe out the food processor bowl fill it with the remaining butternut squash and onion mixture.

    2. Add the coconut milk, nutmeg and salt. Blend until smooth.

    Assemble and Bake the Shells

    1. Ladle about ⅔ of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

    2. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into each shell, then place the shells into the baking dish.

    3. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes, until heated throughout.

    To Serve

    1. Warm the remaining sauce up on the stove. You can thin it a bit if you like (I like to use the last little bit of coconut milk in my can for this).

    2. Divide the shells onto plates and top with the sauce. Garnish with parsley and sage if you like. Serve.

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
    Amount Per Serving (3 shells (approximately - ⅙ of total recipe))
    Calories 455 Calories from Fat 185
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20.6g32%
    Saturated Fat 5.5g28%
    Sodium 730mg30%
    Potassium 1090mg31%
    Carbohydrates 61.7g21%
    Fiber 7.2g29%
    Sugar 9.8g11%
    Protein 12.7g25%
    Calcium 190mg19%
    Iron 4.7mg26%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Truffled Mashed Potatoes
    Cheesy Vegan Mashed Potato Pancakes »

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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Comments

    1. J-nel says

      November 24, 2018 at 1:01 am

      5 stars
      I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was deliciious! Savory with the subtle sweerness of the roasted squash. My sauce wasn't as beautifully orange as yours--maybe needed more squash? But the recipe was great! Thanks for all your great recipes. I realy enjoy your blog.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 24, 2018 at 1:30 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it! You probably just got light colored squash - mine was very bright! I've heard that the smaller squashes tend to be brighter. Thanks so much!!

        Reply
    2. Nina Javez says

      December 11, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      5 stars
      such a unique and delicious recipe! thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        December 13, 2018 at 4:18 pm

        I'm glad you like it! Thanks so much Nina!

        Reply
    3. Lisa Channell says

      June 18, 2019 at 9:08 am

      I LOVE this recipe! Have made it twice! Second time I added a little more onion, spinach and broccoli bits to it. The sauce is great and a nice alternative to the usual marinara sauce.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        June 19, 2019 at 8:45 pm

        Those sound like delicious additions! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

        Reply
    4. Raquel K Williams says

      August 03, 2019 at 10:07 pm

      4 stars
      This was a really lovely concept! But would recommend a few suggestions. First, the flavors overall were a little bland. I added a teaspoon or two of white vinegar to the ricotta filling to give it a little more ricotta like zing. Next time I would add some salt, garlic powder, and some other herbs to give it more flavor. Second...The proportions of all of the ingredients seem "off" to me. There was way too much filing in comparison to the amount of shells, and way too much sauce in general. I used probably 10 ounces of the shells to use up all the filling. I also just dumped the rest of the sauce on top of the shells at the end because there was way too much to just be drizzled and I didn't know what to do with the rest of it. Also, baking the shells without any sauce on top left some of the edges crunchy. My husband liked it, though, and he's a meat eater!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        August 04, 2019 at 10:32 am

        I'm glad you enjoyed it! You can certainly modify as needed. :)

        Reply
    5. Ella says

      November 10, 2019 at 7:07 pm

      We have a dairy and cashew allergy in my home so I'm wondering how much store bought ricotta cheese (we use kite hill brand almond base ricotta) would be the appropriate replacement. What do you recommend for store bought ricotta cheese version in terms of your recipe? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 10, 2019 at 8:50 pm

        I've actually never used store-bought ricotta, but I think it would work just fine! I've tried other Kite Hill products and loved them, so I think theirs would be a good choice. You'll need about 2 1/2 to 3 cups. You could also try leaving out the cashews and doubling the tofu. The ricotta won't be quite as rich, but it'll still be delicious!

        Reply
    6. CW says

      November 21, 2019 at 8:31 am

      5 stars
      This was lovely! Definitely on the time-intensive side, but worth it. Based on experience, I used a smaller squash and skipped the tofu. I cooked and served it in a 12 inch cast iron, so it was very pretty. My pan fit 14 filled shells. Make sure you undercook the shells when boiling. Would make again.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 21, 2019 at 8:34 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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