Two of my favorite things this time of year are the pumpkin pancakes at The Original Pancake House in Birmingham and the pumpkin spice shakes at Culvers.  I consider both a treat and usually share them with someone.  If you find yourself in a Trader Joe’s make sure you grab a box of their pumpkin pancake and waffle mix – it’s good!

This recipe for Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells was in the latest edition of Country Living Magazine (www.countryliving.com ).  It sounded really good so I gave it a try.  I thought it turned out pretty good – I baked it a bit longer than the recipe called for so that the cheese browned a little more, plus I thought it needed a tad more salt.  I cut the recipe in half.  Here is the full recipe.

Ingredients

24 jumbo shells

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 ½ cups fat-free ricotta

1 Fifteen ounce can of pumpkin puree

¾ cup of pecorino Romano grated – PLUS 2 tablespoons

1 large egg white

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 (26 ounce) jar store-bought tomato sauce

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells according to package instructions; drain. Transfer to a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Set aside and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, pumpkin, 3/4 cup pecorino Romano, and remaining ingredients, except tomato sauce.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread sauce in bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill each pasta shell with about 3 tablespoons ricotta-pumpkin mixture and arrange in pan. Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove foil, sprinkle shells with remaining pecorino, and bake for 15 minutes more. (If desired, stuff shells the night before and refrigerate overnight in an airtight container, in between layers of plastic wrap; arrange shells on sauce right before baking.)