*These Pumpkin & Ricotta Stuffed Shells are the perfect savory fall comfort food. A creamy béchamel sauce and plenty of parmesan make this dish extra rich and delicious!*

Hi friends! I have an important question for you today: What’s your favorite comfort food? Like, it’s raining outside, I had a tough day at work, I just realized it’s only Monday, and I think I’m coming down with a cold-comfort food? Let me try to guess… Perhaps it’s chicken noodle soup, or mashed potatoes, or a great grilled cheese sandwich? Or maybe you prefer sweet support, in the form of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies or a steaming mug of hot chocolate?

It’s kinda funny how these particular foods are known for their comforting qualities, that we all tend to gravitate towards similar dishes when we’re not feeling our best and we just need a little something yummy. It could be the warm and toasty quality of a great big bowl of steaming soup, or the fact that cheesy sandwiches and homemade cookies remind us of back when we were carefree little kids. Or maybe it’s simply that the carbs and/or sugar induced coma these goodies produce leave little space for worries or concerns. Whatever the answer, to get back to my original question, I’d say that you can never go wrong with mac and cheese or a warm, melty brownie.

Today, however, I’m all about the pumpkin, and I’m upping the ante on comfort food with this perfectly seasonal and perfectly comforting pasta dish. The base of this dish is a rich, cheesy béchamel sauce – it’s deceivingly simple to make, but utterly delicious. And it certainly elevates this pasta straight to comfort food status. The shells, swathed in the creamy sauce, are also stuffed with a cozy pumpkin filling. It’s brimming with plenty of fresh pumpkin puree, seasonal sage, and yes, of course, more delicious cheese. You guys, all I want for dinner these days is this savory, pumpkin-y goodness.