This version of mac and cheese is absolutely delicious! The butternut squash makes the cheese sauce super creamy and it reheats well!
Ingredients:
12 oz pasta shapes (I chose pipette because they held the sauce very well)
1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, cubed
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk (this is additional, not from the above)
8 oz smoked cheese, shredded (I used gruyere, but you can use any smoked cheese)
tablespoon butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you bought a block of cheese, now is a good time to shred it. Cook pasta until 1-2 minutes before it is “al dente.” Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, cook squash and 2 1/2 cups milk over medium heat until squash is very tender, stirring regularly. It should become mushy.
Combine 1/4 cup each milk and flour. Stir into squash mixture and cook for 2 minutes. This will make the sauce very thick.
Add cheese and stir off heat until fully blended. Pour pasta into the cheese and mix until completely coated.
Place mixture into greased, non-stick pan. Melt butter and mix with bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown. Remove from oven and serve!
There are lots of variations to this recipe. Try one of these, or make your own:
– Add crumbled pieces of cooked bacon before baking
– Add onions before baking
– Use cheddar or a different cheese
– Sprinkle extra cheese on top before baking
Tasteful Tidbits 