Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells

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Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells - It's Not Complicated Recipes 1 #mealprep #pasta #familyrecipes #dinnerparty #entertaining #roasted #sharefood #partyfood #pastadish #vegetarian

My Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells are a delicious make-ahead meal!

When entertaining, it is important to be as organised as possible. This makes your role as a host much more relaxed. As such, meal preparation really is key. Dishes prepared in advance mean you won’t be spending half the time in the kitchen, missing out on having fun with your guests.

My friend Nicolas from Blogtastic Food invited me to join a collaboration on Meal Preparations. I look forward to sharing a plethora of delicious recipes from some of the best food bloggers!

As you would know, I love to host dinner parties.

I have always loved cooking for my family and friends. I get such pleasure from it. In my opinion, nothing beats good company, conversation, delicious food and a couple of glasses of wine!

I love to serve my Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells at dinner parties. Much like my Spinach and Ricotta Shells or Eggplant Involtini, this is a wonderful dish to prepare in advance, and pop into the oven when your friends arrive. Serve with a salad and some bread and you have the ideal meal.

To prepare these delicious Pasta Shells is very simple –

The pasta shells are cooked until they are very al-dente. In other words, slightly undercooked, as they will cook further in the oven.

I roast some pumpkin for a delicious, caramelised flavour. Once the flesh is deliciously tender, I mash with ricotta, fresh sage, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. I fill the shells with the pumpkin and ricotta mixture and prepare a garlic cream sauce to top.

The shells are baked until deliciously golden. They’re ideal served with a green salad and some crusty bread.
Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells

Enjoy, and do let me know in the comments below when you try this recipe!

Alex xx

Looking for some more fabulous meal prep ideas?
Here are some of my favourites:
Mushroom Risotto by Julia Recipes
Thai Green Chicken Curry by Blogtastic Food
Broccoli Cheese Quiche and Sweet Potato Hash by Slice of Honey
Red Lentil, Tamarind and Tomato Soup by Cuisine D’eli
Vegan Meal Prep Chili by Holistic Hormone Help
Instant Pot Ropa Vieja by Hangry White Male
Easy Mexican Lasagna by Real Food Happy Home
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers by Meals with Maggie
Garlic Shrimp Skillet with Bulger by Health Laura
Make Ahead Mini Fritattas in Muffin Tins by 31 Daily



5 from 33 votes
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Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells

A great make-ahead dish, these stuffed Pasta Shells are filled with a delicious combination of Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage. Baked with a creamy garlic sauce, they will delight your family and friends!

Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword delicious, easy, gluten free option, make ahead, meal preparation, pasta, pasta shells, pumpkin, ricotta, sage, simple, vegetarian
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 557 kcal
Author Alexandra

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 500 g pumpkin peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 500 g ricotta full fat
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese reserve 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 26 large pasta shells can use gluten-free if required

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour use gluten-free if required
  • 2 cups milk
  • 5 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pasta Shells

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.

    Add the pasta shells and stir well. I cook them for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, but times differ between brands. When I use gluten-free shells they take about 5 minutes. Don’t be guided by the cooking time on the packet; the shells must be slightly undercooked as they will finish cooking when heated in the oven.

  2. Drain the shells well and spread them out, concave side down, on a clean tea towel to prevent them from cooking further and ensure all water drains off.

Filling

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (350 F).

    Peel the pumpkin, and chop into 1-inch cubes. 

    Toss in a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

  2. Roast until the pumpkin flesh is tender and slightly caramelised – this will take 25 minutes approximately.

  3. Remove the pumpkin and mash with a fork until it is smooth. 

  4. To the pumpkin puree, add the ricotta, fresh sage, parmesan cheese and nutmeg.

  5. Combine the mixture well, and season with salt and pepper.

Garlic Cream Sauce

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  

    Add the chopped garlic, and stir frequently for 2 minutes. 

    Add the flour, and allow it to cook for about 1 minute, being sure to whisk or stir frequently.

  2. Add in half of the milk, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Add the remainder of the milk and whisk for 1 minute.

    Add your Parmesan and salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture thickens. If it thickens too much, add a little additional milk. 

Assembling the Shells

  1. Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C (350 F).

  2. Put 1/3 cup of the garlic cream sauce in the base of a large ovenproof dish. 

    Using a dessert spoon, fill the pasta shells with the pumpkin and ricotta mixture, and place in the ovenproof dish. 

  3. Drizzle the remainder of the garlic cream sauce over the pasta shells. 

    Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

  4. To prevent the shells from burning, cover with foil for the first 30 minutes that they’re in the oven. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for the final 10 minutes. With the tip of a sharp knife, check that the pasta is completely cooked.

    Sprinkle with additional fresh sage prior to serving if you wish.

Recipe Notes

I generally buy a tub of ricotta from the supermarket and gently turn it onto paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

If you buy a wedge of ricotta from the deli section at the supermarket it has a drier consistency and you will not need to drain it.

The dish is gluten free if you use gluten-free pasta shells and flour in the sauce.

If you prefer, you can use canned pumpkin, and omit the step of roasting the pumpkin to create your own puree. You will need to adjust the seasoning accordingly.

This dish can be prepared the day before and baked when required. It does reheat well, with a little additional moisture – ie: cream/water.

Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells
Amount Per Serving
Calories 557 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 17g106%
Cholesterol 87mg29%
Sodium 576mg25%
Potassium 597mg17%
Carbohydrates 43g14%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 8030IU161%
Vitamin C 8.3mg10%
Calcium 605mg61%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells - It's Not Complicated Recipes 1 #mealprep #pasta #familyrecipes #dinnerparty #entertaining #roasted #sharefood #partyfood #pastadish #vegetarian
Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells - It's Not Complicated Recipes 1 #mealprep #pasta #familyrecipes #dinnerparty #entertaining #roasted #sharefood #partyfood #pastadish #vegetarian
Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells
Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells

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152 Comments on “Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells”

  4. Pingback: Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Shells - It's Not Complicated Recipes

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  7. Reply

    These look glorious! I love the flavour combination, pumpkin is a favourite of mine, but I haven’t used it in savoury dishes much. I don’t know why because this looks and sounds delicious, I need to try it out!

  16. Reply


    Pumpkin is one of the healthiest ingredient so glad you have used this in your recipe. Love to try this out as we usually have pumpkin in my weekly groceries shopping list.

  18. Reply


    I love using fresh pumpkin, their aren’t enough recipes that do! Definitely a dish with tons of flavor! Also LOVE that I can make this ahead.

  21. Reply

    I’m already loving the recipe! Thanks for sharing:) I’m pinning it for later and saving in my recipe app:)

  22. Reply

    We have a lot of ricotta here in Italy, and so this recipe really resonates with me. I like the pumpkin combination too!

  26. Reply


    We love hosting dinner parties here, too, Alexandra! And pasta is always a favorite no matter how many people are here for dinner. The flavors of this one sound absolutely amazing. I love pumpkin + sage and then add in pasta, too? Sign me up!!

    1. Reply

      Hi David, pumpkin and sage are definitely a great combination. I especially like that this dish, being prepared in advance, makes for much more relaxed entertaining. I do hope that you enjoy it. 🙂

  37. Reply

    Holii!
    What a good pint it has a plate. I like the dishes that have pumpkin. I sign the recipe
    Good day!!

  42. Reply

    This is so delicious. I don’t like pumpkin.. this is a good alternative to add it. I am going to try it out.

  44. Reply


    Pumpkin and cheese make such a great combination when it comes to pasta. I used to eat pumpkin ravioli very often when I was in Italy. There I would eat them with a simple sage and butter sauce, but I can imagine that baked are delicious as well.

    1. Reply

      Oh Joanna, I agree with you, I also love pumpkin ravioli with sage butter. The flavour combination works well here too and I love that I can make this dish ahead of time. 🙂

  45. Reply

    Omg, what a great Combo.The ingredients itself proves It would be delicious.I am like you.I love to host parties.And this would be a great thing to serve people

  50. Reply

    Make-ahead recipes are my go-to option whenever entertaining friends at home…they just make life so much easier. Pasta is an all-around favorite, so will surely give this a try next time.
    – Nandita

  59. Reply


    Your guests sure are lucky! What a delicious dish. I have a weakness for baked ricotta and pasta dishes, and pumpkin and sage are so great together. Can’t wait to try this!

  66. Reply


    I always check your informative page for more recipe and you never disappoint. Thumbs up for this Pumpkin, Ricotta and Sage Pasta Shells. That looks delicious!

  68. Reply

    I love all things pumpkin! It’s my favorite flavor, largely because it reminds me of my favorite season. I can’t wait to try these shells. Definitely an upgrade to my boring spaghetti.

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