As the temperatures drop, Courtney Roulston is turning a humble pumpkin soup into a rich, cheesy baked pasta the whole family will love.
The TV cook and Coles ambassador joined Sunrise for Cooking With Coles to share her easy pumpkin and ricotta pasta shells, using a clever shortcut to get dinner on the table fast.
Ingredients
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Serves 4
* Using La Zuppa Pumpkin Soup 400g as a quick, easy and veg packed pasta sauce in this recipe
* For a Gluten Free option use strips of zucchini rolled up with the ricotta mixture inside before baking
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
1 x 400g pouch La Zuppa Roasted Pumpkin Soup
250g large pasta shells (you can also use cannelloni)
80g baby spinach
250g Fresh ricotta cheese
1 egg
Sea salt and pepper to taste
½ cup mozzarella cheese, plus extra for the top
½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus extra to grate over the top
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Zest of 1 lemon
Fresh basil leaves to garnish
Method
Step 1. Bring a large pot of salted water up to the boil. Place the baby spinach into a sieve and carefully lower into the water. Allow the spinach to blanch for 1 minute or until wilted. Remove and allow to cool before squeezing out any excess water and chop into fine strips.
Place the pasta shells into the same water and boil until al dente- around 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Step 2. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Place the ricotta into a bowl along with the baby spinach, egg, salt, pepper, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic, oregano and lemon zest. Mix well until smooth and combined.
Step 3. Pour half the roasted pumpkin soup mix onto the base oof a baking dish. Stuff the ricotta mixture into the shells then arrange open side up in the dish. Repeat until all the ricotta mixture and pasta shells are used. Pour the remaining pumpkin soup over the top then scatter with extra mozzarella and Parmesan.
Step 4. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top is slightly golden. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil leaves before serving.
*Serve with a fresh green salad and crusty bread on the side.
