Vegan Stuffed Pasta Shells with Butternut Squash

Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

These vegan stuffed pasta shells are made with a melt in your mouth sage cashew cream sauce and is the perfect plant-based main that the whole family will love!

As the winter season starts to sneak up on us, I wanted to share a recipe you can easily whip up for any of your vegan and vegetarian friends that is perfect for the holiday season. These vegan stuffed pasta shells with sage cashew cream sauce are UNBELIEVABLY good. So good, I happily ate them all week long even though a) I am definitely NOT vegan and b) it is definitely NOT the holidays.

Seriously, it’s the best recipe for fall and winter, when squash is constantly on sale.

Why This Recipe Works

I love this recipe because everything can be made ahead! The holidays are busy enough as it is so having a recipe like these vegan stuffed pasta shells that can be made ahead of time, is such a life saver.

While it’s a delicious main dish, you can also use it as a side dish instead. It’s a very versatile dish that everyone will love, especially when paired with a sweet kale salad.

Despite being a very comfort meal-ish dish, this stuffed shells recipe is actually packed with good for you ingredients! Your friends and family won’t even notice it’s stuffed with butternut squash and spinach.

Key Ingredients

Butternut Squash — You can use fresh or frozen butternut squash for this stuffed shell recipe. Butternut squash is a great source of fibre and is packed with vitamins A, C, E and B!

Spinach — Spinach is such a great source of manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2! Again, no one will even noticed how this recipe is full of healthy ingredients.

Pasta Shells — We use large pasta shells for this butternut squash stuffed shells. If you’re unable to find the larger ones, you can use smaller ones but it’ll just take more time to stuff them individually.

Cashews — To make a vegan cream sauce, we use cashews to keep it vegan friendly.

Flavour Boosters — This vegan stuffed pasta shells recipe is packed with flavour thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, garlic, and sage.

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 F and cook the pasta 1 minute short of the directions on the package and allow to cool just until you can handle it. Then, in a high speed blender, puree the cashews until grainy, then add in the milk, lemon and butternut squash and puree until very smooth before transferring to a large bowl.

Step 2: In a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil along with the garlic and sage. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add in the spinach until it wilts. Transfer to the bowl containing the butternut squash mix.

Step 3: In the bowl, mix in 1 cup of the cheese, and season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Step 4: Transfer the filling to a piping bag and fill the shells with the filling.

Step 5: Place in a greased 13×9″ baking dish and top with the shredded remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Step 6: Meanwhile, to make the sauce, puree the cashews until grainy, then add in the milk and lemon and puree until smooth.

Step 7: Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and sage for the sauce. Once fragrant, reduce the heat to medium low and add in the cashew liquid, maple, and season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Simmer just until warm. Then serve the hot shells with the sauce and enjoy.

Expert Tips

This luscious creamy sage-spiked sauce that will make you totally swoon. It’s amazing on everything from tofu, chicken, fish, veggies but obviously takes this pasta to the next level. So I like to make extra on the side to serve alongside other dishes.

Want to change things up? You can swap the spinach with kale, collard greens, or even finely chopped broccoli.

To make stuffing the shells easier, we like to use a piping bag. If you don’t have one, you can use a ziploc bag and cut off a corner tip. Alternatively, you can use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture into the pasta shells.

I like to add in some vegan cheese for the holiday vibe, but if you want to omit that (or use regular, of course, if you’re not vegan) then it’s divine either way.

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes You Might Like

If you want more delicious fall and winter recipes, try these favourites from my blog!

• Vegan Creamy Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Pasta
• Sweet Chili Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Vegan Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Streusal Topping
• Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice, Apples and Caramelized Onions

Now, I want to know: what is your go-to vegan or vegetarian dishes for entertaining?

Vegan Stuffed Pasta Shells with Butternut Squash

These vegan stuffed pasta shells are topped off with a melt in your mouth sage cashew cream sauce and is the perfect plant-based Thanksgiving, Christmas or holiday main that the whole family will love!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

CourseDinner

CuisineAmerican

Prep Time10 minutes minutes

Cook Time30 minutes minutes

Total Time40 minutes minutes

Servings8 people

Calories578.59kcal

AuthorAbbey Sharp

Ingredients

Shells:

• ▢ 1 lb large pasta shells
• ▢ 2 cups cashews soaked in water in the fridge overnight
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• ▢ 5 tsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 2/3 cups diced frozen thawed or cooked butternut squash
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tbsp. fresh sage minced
• ▢ 2 cups spinach chopped
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups vegan cheese divided
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ Pinch nutmeg

Sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight
• ▢ 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp sage minced
• ▢ 2 gloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tsp maple syrup
• ▢ Pinch each salt pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Cook the pasta 1 minute short of the directions on the package and allow to cool just until you can handle it.
• In a high speed blender, puree the cashews until grainy, then add in the milk, lemon and butternut squash and puree until very smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
• In a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil along with the garlic and sage. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add in the spinach until it wilts. Transfer to the main bowl.
• Mix in 1 cup of the cheese, and season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Transfer the filling to a piping bag and fill the shells with the filling. Place in a greased 13×9″ baking dish and top with the shredded remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, puree the cashews until grainy, then add in the milk and lemon and puree until smooth.
• Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and sage for the sauce. Once fragrant, reduce the heat to medium low and add in the cashew liquid, maple, and season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Simmer just until warm.
• Serve the hot shells with the sauce and enjoy.

Video

Notes

• This luscious creamy sage-spiked sauce that will make you totally swoon. It’s amazing on everything from tofu, chicken, fish, veggies but obviously takes this pasta to the next level. So I like to make extra on the side to serve alongside other dishes.
• Want to change things up? You can swap the spinach with kale, collard greens, or even finely chopped broccoli.
• To make stuffing the shells easier, we like to use a piping bag. If you don’t have one, you can use a ziploc bag and cut off a corner tip. Alternatively, you can use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture into the pasta shells.
• I like to add in some vegan cheese for the holiday vibe, but if you want to omit that (or use regular, of course, if you’re not vegan) then it’s divine either way.

Nutrition

Calories578.59kcalCarbohydrates67.97gProtein17.91gFat27.62gSaturated Fat5.53gSodium318.85mgPotassium596.63mgFiber5.33gSugar5.74gVitamin A3803.69IUVitamin C10.31mgCalcium139.94mgIron4.9mg

Mention @AbbeysKitchen or tag #abbeyskitchen if you try and share this recipe!

Have you tried these vegan stuffed shells? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts!

Abbey Sharp

Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.