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.