Years ago, I had a bunch of squash puree leftover from Thanksgiving, and had NO idea what to do with it. After a lot of googling, I came across Naturally Ella’s Acorn Squash Stuffed Shells. Holy moly. What an incredible melding of flavors – the squash mixes with the cheeses and creates a healthy, totally fullfilling meal.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with various ways to add “stuff” to it so that my husband and kiddos will love it as much as I do, or to use up stuff I’ve had lying around the kitchen. Enter in: carmelized onions, crispy pancetta and browned butter. This is one meal where my kiddos ask for seconds even though they “hate” squash. I’ve even shredded brussel sprouts over it and it still gets eaten! Score.

So how did I take a fabulous recipe and make it fit our family? Lots of trial and error. But, I think I’ve finally perfected our family’s take on squash stuffed shells. Please ignore the bad photo – I forgot to take a picture of the final product!

Recipe

• 2 cups cooked and pureed squash (our favorites are butternut, acorn, buttercup and kabocha)
• 2/3 cup of ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 8 oz pancetta – cooked
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions
• 3 tbsp browned butter
• 1 box jumbo shells – cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together the squash puree, cheese, pancetta and caramelized onions in a large bowl. Stuff shells with squash mixture and place in a greased (I use about 2 tbsp of olive oil) lasagna pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until shells are slightly golden and cheese is bubbly.

Add browned butter across the top of shells, and serve hot.

Bon Appetit!