Every now and then I come up with a meal on the fly that exceeds my own expectations. This voluptuous pasta dish did that for me this weekend — and then some. I can’t even begin to describe the creamy smooth richness of the vibrant sauce, most of the credit for which goes to the inherently delicious flavor of the kabocha squash itself.
As you probably know, I’m like the number one fan of kabocha squash (also known as Hokaido pumpkin). Its natural sweetness and rich depth of flavor far outshine any other variety of squash anywhere. If you have a chance to buy one, do yourself a favor and try it. Once you do, you may have trouble going back to any other kind — I know I do.
Okay, so if this wonderful sauce weren’t enough to make this pasta dish fantastic, the roasted chestnuts and dried cranberries really put it over the top. In addition to adding texture and flavor, the combination of squash, chestnuts, and cranberries made it a perfect autumn meal. The pasta just made it even better!
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Hi there,
I would love the recipe for this dish but I can’t seem to find it on here anywhere. Am I missing something?
This was one of those dishes I just put together on the fly — I pureed some roasted kabocha squash in my Vitaamix and then thinned it out with a little almond milk (or you could use vegetable broth). If you roasted some onion with your squash, you can add that in too. Then season to taste with salt, pepper, and your favorite herb if desired (maybe some thyme?) and stir in the chestnuts and cranberries if using and toss with cooked pasta. That’s it!