Vegan Stuffed Pasta Shells with Butternut Squash

Plate with three stuffed shells with sauce drizzled overtop.

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!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 578.59kcal

Author Abbey 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 13x9" 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