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This Pumpkin and Pesto Cheese Stuffed Shells is for nights when you’re craving Italian, but you’re also craving fall flavors. Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with a basil pesto and ricotta cheese mixture. Then baked in a spicy pumpkin vodka sauce that’s creamy and so delicious! This is a great fall pasta to serve any night of the week, or for your next Saturday night dinner party.
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Can you guys tell that I’ve entered full on comfort food mode over here?
I know it’s only October and all, but with our major snowfall this week (if you follow on Instagram you saw all the photos) I really cannot stop these comfort food cravings. When it’s cold all I want to make is butternut squash pasta, homemade curries, noodle soup, and homemade pumpkin butter.
So, all the best fall food.
I have to say, even though I think it’s WAY too early for snow, I’m loving the coziness it brings. As well as the excuse to stay warm inside all day. I swear the chill in the air, and the snow on the ground, makes cooking even more enjoyable for me. Which is nice considering that I’ve been spending almost all my time in the kitchen lately.
But then I do kind of miss the fall leaves…
Anyway, moving on to this pasta.
I was inspired to create these pumpkin ricotta stuffed shells after making this pasta last year and loving it so. This is kind of the fall version of that pasta dish, and as you can guess, it’s a new go-to for me.
This easy recipe uses a lot of pantry staple ingredients. And while it does take some time, it’s still very easy to make and comes together in just about an hour.
The details.
To start, make the spicy pumpkin vodka sauce. This is just a mix of spicy ground chicken sausage, pumpkin puree, vodka, and spices. I love using chicken sausage as it adds so much flavor. It also means you don’t have to add extra ingredients like onions and garlic to the sauce. One note, I prefer using lean chicken over pork sausage, which can be a little too greasy sometimes.
While the sauce simmers, make the stuffed shells. These are the almost too good…fresh ricotta, fontina cheese, and basil pesto, all stuffed into a pasta shell? Nothing not to love here.
Snuggle the cheese stuffed shells right into the spicy pumpkin vodka sauce, then sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until the pasta is golden and the cheese has melted.
Hello to cheesy, pumpkiny pasta perfection.
This is one of the best dishes to come out of my kitchen as of late, and that’s saying A LOT since I’ve been cooking A LOT.
I know it may seem a little odd to use pumpkin in such a savory way, but go with me on this one. It lends a creamy texture to the sauce while providing a hint of both sweetness and autumn flavors.
Just give it try. I know you guys will all love it!
Watch the How To Video:
If you make this pumpkin and pesto cheese stuffed shells please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Pumpkin and Pesto Cheese Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pound jumbo shells
- 16 ounces (about 2 cups) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 3/4 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 8 ounces mozzarella, torn
- fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish or dish of similar size.2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the bell pepper, pumpkin, vodka, milk, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and boil the pasta until al dente according to package directions.4. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, fontina, and 1/2 cup pesto. 5. To assemble, spoon 3/4 of the pumpkin sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Working with one pasta shell at a time, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into each shell, placing the filled shell into the baking dish as you go. Spoon the remaining pumpkin sauce over top of the shells and then drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup pesto evenly over everything. Add the mozzarella. 6. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Love this recipe! My edits include:
1. Use store bought vodka sauce (time saver)
2. Nix the sausage for a less greasy version
3. Add pumpkins puree to the cheese mixture (increases the pumpkin of it all).
4. Add additional sauce mixture to the top of the shells before baking.
Hey Steven,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Holidays!
I swapped out the chicken sausage for veggie sausage so the recipe was vegetarian and it was delicious! The pumpkin sauce was so yummy, and the cheese filling in the shells was perfect. It did take a bit of effort and time to put everything together, but definitely worth it. I would recommend this recipe and will definitely be making it again!
Hi Jenna,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Happy Fall!
I made this recipe tonight and substituted lamb sausage because I couldn’t find chicken and added a bulb of roasted garlic to the pumpkin sauce. It was delicious and my husband loved it. Thank you for another great recipe!
Thanks so much, Connie! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
Made tonight with manicotti as the store was out of shells and boy was this good! The only thing I added was two cloves of garlic to the sauce. My husband and 4 year old raved about it!
Hey Heidi,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Happy Sunday! xT
I liked this recipe especially with the pesto! but my sauce came out bland not sure if it was because I used homemade pumpkin puree, I added some cumin, cinnamon, garlic, and onion to the sauce
I had a hard time getting my sauce to thicken up and wondering what I did wrong…I followed the recipe exactly!
Hi Eva,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sounds like your sauce just needed to simmer longer to thicken. I hope this helps for next time! xT
Want to make this for Wednesday night. Can I make it Tuesday morning and keep it in the fridge until I bake it?
Hi Maribeth,
You bet, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
1-A cup of milk and pumpkin with some vodka didn’t make nearly enough sauce for a pound of shells in my opinion.
2- two teaspoons of dried oregano is far too much and ruined this dish in my opinion.
Hi Tieghan,
I want to bring this to a potluck. If I triple the recipe can I bake it in a 9 quart dutch oven? Should I change the oven temp or bake time at all? Thanks!
Hi Lucia! You might have to increase the bake time slightly if you triple the recipe! Let me know how it turns out! xT
Made this tonight and really liked it! I only used 12 oz of pasta, as that was the only size I could find and I think it worked fine. Do you think it would work if I reduce the amount of cheese a bit and add spinach to the pasta filling?
Hi there! Yes, spinach would be so good in this! xT
The boxes of jumbo shells I found are 12 Oz. Should I buy two and weigh out 16 Oz? Or do you mean one box?
Could I make this without vodka?
Yes, you could use chicken broth as a sub for vodka! xT
Made this two weeks ago for my dad and it was a HUGE hit. Making it again this week for my Grandmothers 97th Birthday!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have a great week! xT
Fresh Mozzarella or Whole Milk Mozzarella????
Hi Monica,
I like to use fresh mozzarella for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Once again your recipe is amazing and easy to follow. The flavors are incredible. I will say—we don’t do alcohol so I am sure the boozy one is a bit more flavorful. Even with the chicken stocks substitute, we loved it. Thanks for being you
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend! 🙂 xT
I made this tonight exactly as written. My husband and teenage boys loved it! Thank you, Tieghan, for another yummy recipe!
Hey Tiffany,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT