Plateful of multi-coloured spaghetti topped with Kabocha Squash and Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce with chicken.
October 18, 2023

Squash & Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce – Vegetarian or Chicken

October 18, 2023

Squash & Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce – Vegetarian or Chicken

Plateful of multi-coloured spaghetti topped with Kabocha Squash and Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce with chicken.

Kabocha squash and old white cheddar cheese pair beautifully in this rich and creamy pasta sauce. If you’ve never tried a pasta sauce made with squash and cheese you’re in for a tasty surprise — the Kabocha squash adds an amazing depth of flavour, and enhances the cheese sauce’s already rich and creamy texture.

You can make this vegetarian or add chicken for the meat-eaters.

Top-down, close-up view of Squash and Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce

About Kabocha Squash

Kabocha squash is also known as Japanese Pumpkin. If you can’t find any near you, you can substitute with butternut squash or Red Kuri. You could even do acorn squash in a pinch but it won’t have quite the same rich flavour.

Squash Preparation Tips

If you have time, roast the squash earlier in the day or the night before making this recipe. Let it cool and then store it in the fridge until you're ready. The flesh will be easier to scoop out when it's cooler. 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Slice the squash into halves or quarters and remove the seeds.
  3. Cook the squash until it's fork tender. Since you'll be blending it into the cheese sauce, cooking the squash into it's on the soft side will help it blend more easily.

Making the Squash and Cheddar Cheese Sauce

This Squash and Cheddar Cheese Sauce comes together very quickly. If you’re making spaghetti to go with it, get the pasta water boiling at the same time as you’re starting the sauce. We served ours with two types of spaghetti: a regular wheat spaghetti and a garlic and red chili flavoured version, which added colour contrast and a tiny shot of heat. If you’re considering mixing pasta types, remember to ensure that the cooking time for both is the same (or use separate pots!).

Really this recipe is just a twist on a basic cheese sauce. For this recipe, we’re swapping regular butter for brown butter. 

  1. Blend the melted brown butter with a little flour to make a roux, and then slowly add the milk until the sauce is thick and creamy.
  2. Turn the heat down and add in the cheddar cheese, a handful or so at a time.
  3. Blend in the cooked Kabocha squash. If you have an immersion (hand) blender you can use that to blend the sauce directly in the saucepan. If not, just transfer the sauce to a blender, add the squash, and blend until smooth.
  4. Optionally, pan-fry some chicken in a mix of half olive oil, half brown butter. Once cooked, stir in to the pasta sauce. Super simple and good!
  5. For extra deliciousness, top your pasta with some additional cheddar and a good grind of black pepper.
Top-down view of Kabocha Squash and Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce, on a blue plate against and orange background

Recipe Card

Squash and Cheddar Cheese Pasta Sauce - Vegetarian or Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
A rich and creamy cheese sauce made with old white cheddar and rich Kabocha Squash. Subtly flavoured with nutmeg and brown butter. A delicious main that's easy to prepare. Make it vegetarian or add chicken for a heartier entree. Makes a delicious mac and cheese sauce too! 
Servings 6 servings
Calories 221 kcal
Author Sylvia Eastman

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons brown butter {You can sub with regular butter if you are in a hurry.)
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups old white cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 cup Kabocha Squash, cooked

For meat-eaters

  • 100 gram chicken breast, per person
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon brown butter {You can sub with regular butter if you are in a hurry.)

For serving

  • old white cheddar cheese, grated
  • fresh ground pepper

Instructions

For the pasta sauce

  • Melt the brown butter in a medium-sized saucepan. 
  • Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes over medium low heat.
  • Add in the nutmeg and about half of the milk, stirring and cooking until thickened, about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining milk. 
  • Turn the heat down to low.  Add in about half cup of the cheddar cheese, stirring until melted. Repeat with the remaining cheese. 
  • Add the Kabocha squash, using an immersion blender to combine it with the cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

For the chicken-eaters

  • Slice the chicken breast in to short strips. Melt the olive oil and brown butter in a frying pan. Pan-fry the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes, turning over about half-way through. 

For serving

  • Toss the pasta with the cheese sauce. Optionally, stir in the chicken. Serve with extra grated cheddar on top, along with fresh ground pepper. 

Notes

Substitution for Kabocha Squash or Japanese Pumpkin

If you can't find Kabocha squash you could substitute with butternut squash or Red Kuri squash. 

Storage and Reheating

This will store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat it over low heat, stirring occasionally. You may need to thin it out with some additional milk. 

Nutritional Information

Nutrition information is based on the vegetarian version and is an estimate only. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 286mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 800IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 324mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Courses, Cuisines, and Keywords

Course
dinner
|
dinner, lunch, side
|
entree
|
main
Cuisine
American
Keywords
kabocha squash
|
old cheddar cheese sauce
|
squash and cheese pasta
|
squash mac and cheese

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Recipe Rating




    1. Thanks Chris! I love the navy linen – doesn’t it look beautiful! I’ll make this one next time you guys are over for dinner!

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We're creating a course: Baby Steps to Plant-Based Eating

Yes, seriously. Trying a plant-based diet can be overwhelming and we'd like to help. 

This course is for you if: 

  • you're curious about plant-based eating, but don't know where to start 
  • you have family or friends who eat plant-based and you'd like to be able to cook for them
  • you've dabbled with plant-based cooking, but would like to expand your repertoire 

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