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Southern Squash Casserole Pasta

Servings 4 to 6 people

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Chef’s knife
  • Wide, large pot

Ingredients

  • pounds  yellow summer squash (about 3 medium to large sized squash), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • 1 ounce  dried orecchiette pasta
  • medium  vidalia (or yellow) onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1  tsp  kosher salt
  • ¾   tsp garlic powder
  • ½  tsp  red pepper flakes
  • ¼  tsp  lemon pepper (or regular black pepper)
  • 1 quart (4 cups) low-sodium chicken stock
  • ¼  cup  water
  • 8 8 ounce (2 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • ounce (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese (the powdery kind, not the shredded)
  • 2 ounce (1/2 cup) grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves 
  • Freshly ground lemon pepper  (or regular black pepper)

Substitutes:

  • Yellow summer squash:  zucchini, or you can even sub in a really small chopped (like 1/4-inch) winter squash like acorn or butternut!
  • Orecchiette pasta:  any kind whatsoever, just make sure it takes at least 10 minutes to cook (the squash needs that long).
  • Yellow onion:  vidalia onion, 3 shallots, 1 bunch thinly sliced scallions, 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • .Garlic cloves:  1 1/2 teaspoons (total) garlic powder).
  • Garlic powder:  onion powder.
  • Red pepper flakes:  if you love heat, add a minced serrano or jalapeño pepper! Bartlett and I used to add a jalapeño to our casserole occasionally.
  • Parmesan:  more cheddar, or 1 full cup pecorino romano. Or manchego or gouda! We just want a different cheesy flavor.
  • Pecorino romano:  more cheddar, of 1 full cup parmesan. Or see above.
  • Basil:  basil really helps round this dish out, but you could also use 1 cup fresh parsley or 1/4 cup fresh oregano.

Instructions

  • Add 2 pounds sliced squash, 1 pound orecchiette pasta, 1 thinly yellow onion, 6 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper to a large pot. 
  • Pour 1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock and 1/4 cup water into the pot. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently (the pasta will try to stick to the bottom of the pot, just keep stirring!) until the pasta is tender and the liquid has nearly evaporated (you want a little less than 1/4 cup left to create the sauce), 9 to 11 minutes. It will be impossible to actually measure 1/4 cup, but just eyeball it. It should be juicy looking in the pot, but there shouldn’t be a ton of loose liquid.If the liquid evaporates before the pasta is tender, add another splash of water!
  • If the pasta is tender and there’s still way too much liquid, spoon some out! This can happen based on your stove calibration and the width of your pot, no big deal! Easy to solve!
  • Remove the pot from heat and stir in 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano until the cheese is completely melted and has created a smooth sauce. 
  • Taste. You might need more salt - it totally depends on how salty your brands of chicken stock, parmesan, and pecorino Romano were! 
  • Stir in 1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves. I like to garnish with lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Want to make this ahead of time? See the last paragraph in the recipe description above.