These high-protein pumpkin stuffed shells are everything you want on a chilly fall night: jumbo pasta shells packed with a seasoned ground chicken, spinach, and cottage cheese filling, baked in a creamy pumpkin-marinara sauce, and finished under a bubbly layer of mozzarella. They taste like pure comfort food, but each serving brings roughly 45 grams of protein, so it's a dinner that actually keeps up with your goals and your family.
Pumpkin season is the perfect time for this one. Instead of reaching for pumpkin only in desserts, this recipe stirs it into a classic marinara for a sauce that's rich, velvety, and just a little sweet, without tasting like pie. It's a great make-ahead dinner for busy weeknights, Sunday meal prep, or feeding a crowd around Halloween and Thanksgiving.
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Ingredients
Every ingredient here earns its place. Ground chicken and blended cottage cheese do the heavy lifting on protein, while ricotta and Parmesan keep the filling creamy and familiar, like the stuffed shells you grew up with. Pumpkin purée and marinara team up for a sauce that's cozy and bright at the same time, and fresh spinach adds color and a little extra nutrition without changing the flavor.
- Jumbo pasta shells
- Olive oil
- Ground chicken (thigh or 93% lean)
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh spinach
- Cottage cheese (2% or 4%)
- Part-skim ricotta
- Grated Parmesan
- Large egg
- Pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- Marinara sauce (simple, low-sugar)
- Milk
- Fresh garlic
- Shredded mozzarella
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This recipe comes together in a few simple stages: cook the shells, make the filling, whisk the sauce, then stuff and bake. Here's how it all goes down.
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Boil the jumbo shells in salted water for 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions, then drain, rinse with cool water, and toss with a little olive oil so they don't stick.
- Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and let it sear without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, then season with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Break it into small crumbles and cook until no pink remains.
- Step 3: Add the fresh spinach to the skillet and stir just until wilted. Transfer everything to a large bowl, let it cool slightly, and pour off any liquid that collects at the bottom.
- Step 4: Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth. Add it to the chicken and spinach along with the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix until combined.
- Step 5: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, marinara, milk, minced garlic, Parmesan, and salt until smooth and creamy. If it's too thick to spoon easily, add a splash more milk.
- Step 6: Spread about 1 cup of sauce across the bottom of the baking dish. Stuff each shell with about 3 tablespoons of filling and nestle them snugly in a single layer, open side up. Spoon the rest of the sauce over and around the shells.
- Step 7: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
- Step 8: Remove the foil, sprinkle the mozzarella over the top, and bake uncovered for about 10 more minutes until melted and bubbly. Let the shells rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Hint: the easiest way to stuff jumbo shells is with a zip-top bag. Spoon the filling into the bag, snip off a corner, and pipe it right into each shell. It's faster, cleaner, and every shell gets an even amount of filling.
Why blend the cottage cheese?
Blending turns cottage cheese silky smooth, so it disappears into the filling and tastes just like a classic ricotta filling. Even the cottage cheese skeptics at your table won't notice it's there, and you get a big protein boost.
Substitutions
This recipe is easy to adapt to what you have on hand or the way your family eats.
- Ground chicken - ground turkey works the same way and keeps the protein high. Lean ground beef works too for a heartier version.
- Cottage cheese - you can use all ricotta instead, but the protein will drop a bit and the filling will be slightly richer.
- Fresh spinach - swap in frozen chopped spinach. Thaw it and squeeze out as much water as you can before adding it to the filling.
- Pumpkin purée - butternut squash purée makes a great swap with a similar texture and flavor.
- Pasta - look for protein-enriched or gluten-free jumbo shells if you can find them. Gluten-free shells are more delicate, so handle them gently.
Variations
Once you've made the original, try one of these easy twists to keep things fresh.
- Spicy - add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the chicken while it cooks, or use a spicy arrabbiata sauce in place of marinara.
- Veggie-loaded - sauté finely chopped mushrooms or zucchini with the chicken for extra veggies in every bite.
- Brown butter sage - drizzle the finished shells with brown butter and crispy fresh sage leaves for a fancy fall finish.
- Extra cheesy - mix in some shredded provolone or fontina with the mozzarella on top.
Equipment
You'll need a large pot for boiling the shells, a large skillet for browning the chicken (I use my HexClad skillet), a blender or food processor for the cottage cheese, and a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Your baking dish makes a difference. Glass and ceramic dishes take longer to heat up, so you may need to add a few extra minutes to the covered bake time. Metal pans heat faster and brown the edges more, so start checking a few minutes early.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or warm the whole dish covered with foil at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until heated through. Add a splash of milk or marinara if the sauce has thickened.
These shells freeze well for up to 3 months, baked or unbaked. To freeze unbaked, assemble them without the mozzarella, wrap the dish tightly, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake covered for about 30 minutes before adding the cheese. The cottage cheese filling may be slightly softer after freezing, but the flavor holds up great.
Top Tip
Don't fully cook the shells before stuffing! Pull them 1 to 2 minutes early so they're still firm. They'll finish cooking in the oven, soaking up the sauce without turning mushy or tearing when you fill them.
FAQ
Not at all. Plain pumpkin purée isn't sweetened or spiced, so it adds a mild, creamy richness to the marinara rather than a dessert flavor. Just make sure you buy pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
Yes. Assemble the shells, cover the dish, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake covered for about 30 minutes, then add the mozzarella and finish uncovered.
Once it's blended smooth, cottage cheese blends right into the filling and tastes like a classic ricotta filling. It's an easy way to add protein without changing the flavor.
A 12 oz box usually has around 36 to 40 jumbo shells, enough for this recipe plus a few spares in case some tear while boiling.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
High-Protein Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
Ingredients
- 32 jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken thigh or 93% lean
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons salt for chicken
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- 2 cups cottage cheese 2% or 4%
- 1 cups part-skim ricotta
- 0.5 cups grated Parmesan for filling
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt for filling
- ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 15 ounces pumpkin purée not pie filling
- 2 cups marinara sauce simple, low-sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ⅔ cups grated Parmesan for sauce
- ½ teaspoons salt for sauce
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Boil the shells: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook jumbo pasta shells 1-8 minutes
- less than the package directions so they're al dente and hold their shape. Drain, rinse with cool water, and toss with a little of the 1 tablespoons olive oil so they don't stick.
- Brown the chicken: Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 pounds ground chicken (thigh or 93% lean) and let it sear undisturbed for 2-10 minutes
- to get real browning, then add 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoons garlic powder, and 1 teaspoons salt (for chicken). Break into small crumbles and cook until no pink remains. Work in two batches if your skillet is crowded, so the chicken browns instead of steaming.
- Wilt the spinach: Add 5 ounces fresh spinach to the skillet with the chicken and stir just until wilted. Transfer to a large bowl, let cool slightly, and pour off any liquid that collects so the filling isn't watery.
- Make the filling: Blend 2 cups cottage cheese (2% or 4%) until completely smooth. Add it to the chicken and spinach along with 1 cup part-skim ricotta, 0.5 cups grated Parmesan (for filling), 1 large egg, salt (for filling), and black pepper. Mix well, then taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.
- Make the pumpkin-marinara sauce: Whisk together 15 ounces pumpkin purée (not pie filling), marinara sauce (simple, low-sugar), milk, garlic cloves, minced,Parmesan (for sauce), and salt (for sauce) until smooth and creamy. If it's too thick to spoon easily, add another splash of milk.
- Assemble: Spread about 1 cup of sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Stuff each shell generously with filling (about 3 tablespoons) and nestle them snugly in a single layer, open-side up. Dollop any leftover filling into the gaps between shells. Spoon the remaining sauce over and around the shells.
- Bake covered: Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
- Add cheese and finish: Remove the foil, sprinkle 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella over the top, and bake uncovered until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and starting to brown.
- Rest and serve: Let the shells rest for 10 minutes
