Dinner for 8

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

Name: Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells
Total time: 51 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 22 large shell pasta noodles; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup diced butternut squash; 1 cup diced yellow squash; 1 cup diced zucchini; 1/2 cup diced yellow onion; 2 cloves garlic; 2 tsp mccormick thyme leaves; 1 1/2 tsp mccormick sea salt; 1 tsp freshly ground mccormick black pepper; 3 cups ricotta cheese; 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese; 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional); 1 egg; 3 cups whipping cream; 1/2 tsp mccormick ground nutmeg

$10.12for 451 minServes 8

Large pasta shells hold ricotta, vegetables, egg, and spices before baking with cream and melted mozzarella.

Photo: foodiecrush.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Ramen and Asian noodles, 28 oz$0.18/oz typical	28 oz	$4.95Typical price
	Winter squash (butternut, 0.3 lb$1.29/lb typical	0.3 lb	$0.40Typical price
	Zucchini and summer squash, 0.55 lb$1.79/lb typical	0.55 lb	$1.01Typical price
	Onions, 0.15 lb$1.29/lb typical	0.15 lb	$0.20Typical price
	Garlic, 0.25$0.75 each typical	0.25	$0.15Typical price
	Mint, a little$1.99 each typical	a little	$0.08Typical price
	Cottage cheese, 24 oz$0.17/oz typical	24 oz	$4.08Typical price
	Mozzarella, 8 oz$0.30/oz typical	8 oz	$2.40Typical price
	Parmesan, 1.75 oz$0.55/oz typical	1.75 oz	$0.96Typical price
	Eggs, 1$0.30 each typical	1	$0.30Typical price
	Heavy cream, 25 oz$0.22/oz typical	25 oz	$5.48Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$20.24

Swaps

Swap zucchini and summer squash for bell peppersabout $0.70/lb more at typical prices
Swap onions for red onionsabout $0.20/lb more at typical prices
Swap mozzarella for cheddar and shredded cheeseabout the same price
Swap heavy cream for evaporatedabout $0.08/oz less at typical prices

Pantry staples you likely have

Cooking spray, shortening, ghee, coconut and sesame oilSalt and pepperDried herbs, spices and seasoning blends

Not included in the cost.

51 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
8servings as written
$$typical cost tier

American Vegetarian Budget Family Dinners Fall

Typical price

$2.53 per serving$10.12 for 4

City Store

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

22 large shell pasta noodles
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced butternut squash
1 cup diced yellow squash
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp mccormick thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp mccormick sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground mccormick black pepper
3 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp mccormick ground nutmeg

Steps

Boil the shells in salted water for 9 minutes, then drain them carefully.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook the butternut squash, yellow squash, zucchini, onion, garlic, and thyme for 6 minutes.
Mix the cooked vegetables with ricotta, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Pour the cream into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and fill each shell with the ricotta mixture.
Arrange the shells in the dish, sprinkle them with mozzarella, and cover the dish with foil.
Bake at 375 F for 18 minutes, uncover the dish, and bake for 3 more minutes until the filling is set.