Pumpkin, Lentil & Spinach Filled Pasta Shells

Method

• Prep Ingredients: Peel the pumpkin and cut into small cubes. Grate the zucchini, finely dice the onion and drain and rinse the lentils.
• Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a large ovenproof baking dish (or you can do multiple single serves)
• Cook the shells until slightly softened (should be al dente to make them easy to handle)
• Cook the pumpkin in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, mash roughly then set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, lightly fry the onions in a dash of olive oil and add the nuts/seeds if using. Once browned, stir through the lentils, spices and herbs. Empty into a large bowl.
• Blanch the spinach in boiling water for around 30 seconds. Rinse in cold water and drain well. Squeeze out excess moisture and add to the lentil mix.
• Stir the mashed pumpkin, zucchini and ricotta/cottage cheese through the lentil mix and set aside. This will be the shell filling.
• Pour 1/2 the passata into the lined baking dish and then cover the dish with the al dente shells.
• Place the pumpkin and lentil filling into a large ziplock bag (or similar), cut a good sized hole from the corner and use it to pipe tablespoons of mixture into each shell.
• Pour remaining passata over the shells, season well with pepper and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese has melted and is bubbling.
• Serve on own or with a side Garden Salad