Savory Mashed Kabocha
This will be on my Thanksgiving table this year. I’m obsessed with how savory and simple it is. This side dish is an alternative, or an addition to the traditional mashed potatoes, excepted you are mashing kabocha instead of potatoes.
Wondering what a Kabocha is? It’s a Japanese pumpkin, a type of winter squash. It is shaped like a squat pumpkin and has a dull, deep green skin and an intense orange color on the inside. Its taste is sweeter than a butternut squash and it is similar in texture to a pumpkin and sweet potato. When I roast it, I usually eat the rind, but for this recipe I removed the skin to give the dish a nice orange color.
I like to eat a scoop or two of the leftovers for breakfast with roasted veggies or sautéed kale with 2 over easy eggs. If you want to make this recipe into a pumpkin soup, just add more chicken broth and add a cup of whipping cream or milk to make it creamy.
Whether or not you make this exact recipe, I hope this post inspires you to branch out and cut into that squash you’ve always seen at the supermarket but have yet to try. It might be your new favorite.
Ingredients:
1 kabocha squash (about 1.5 kg)
1 onion, sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp pink salt + more to taste
2.5 cups chicken bone broth
Instructions:
Cut the kabocha in quarters. Scoop out the seeds, cut off the skin, and chop into bite-size pieces. Slice the onion.
Heat a large pot on medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add the onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes until they are soft.
Add chopped kabocha and 1 tsp of salt. Sauté for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kabocha softens and the onions begin to caramelize.
Add chicken bone broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kabocha is soft and the liquid thickens.
Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, mash or whip the kabocha.
Add 1 tsp of salt, and then additional salt to taste (1/4 tsp at a time) until the flavor pops.
The little pot on the stove is some homemade chicken bone broth I’m defrosting as the kabocha and onion sauté.