Winter Squash Stuffed Shells

This week I teamed up with Krista Ettles (local cooking instructor and food writer) to bring you this beautiful winter squash recipe.  If you ran out of your supply already you can pick up some more at our market next Saturday:) 
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Winter Squash Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
• 1 large winter squash, deseeded & cut into 10-12 large pieces
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably fresh grated)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup white wine (you can substitute broth or water)
• 24 large pasta shells
• 2 cups smoked cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated and divided
• Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400*
Place the squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix
with your hands to make sure the squash is evenly coated. Cover with foil and bake for 35-45
minutes, or until the squash is soft when you pierce it with a knife. Remove from the oven and
set aside to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350*
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, season with salt then place
the pasta in the water. Cook until the pasta is just slightly pliable, about 5 minutes. Strain the
pasta and set aside to cool.
When the squash has cooled, scoop it out of the skins and place into a large bowl. You should
have about 4 cups of squash to work with. Set aside 3/4 cup for the sauce.
Add the ricotta, sage, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Place the squash
mixture in a large ziplock bag, twist the opening to seal and make sure the filling is mostly
towards one corner of the bag. Set aside.
To make the sauce, mix the reserved squash and whipping cream in a bowl. Add the nutmeg,
1/4 cup parmesan, wine salt and pepper to taste. Mix with a whisk to be sure the sauce is
smooth.
To assemble the shells, place 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Take the ziplock bag and cut the corner to give yourself about a 1 1/2 inch opening.
Take one of the pasta shells and slowly squeeze the squash filling into the shell. Set in the
baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining shells.
Drizzle the rest of the sauce over the pasta shells. Sprinkle with cheese.
Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.