Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Butternut squash. I have a slight obsession. A few years ago my husband and I went out to Boston to visit Collette, and we had butternut squash at close to every meal. My sister has a husband who doesn't necessarily love vegetables, so she has gotten pretty clever at how to disguise vegetables into things like Macaroni and Cheese! While we were there she made us Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese and I loved it. The pureed squash adds a depth of flavor to the classic dish, but also makes the dish extra creamy without adding whole milk or extra cheese (but you could if you wanted to).



I couldn't really remember how she made it, just the general idea of adding pureed squash to the macaroni and cheese. Over the years I have played around with the recipe and came to this final recipe beaut. 

You will start out with pretty basic Mac N Cheese ingredients: Macaroni ( I used whole wheat), milk, cheese, butter, and flour. I use 1% milk, but you could easily sub in whole milk for added creaminess. You will also need dry mustard, nutmeg, and optional spices of rosemary and paprika. For the butternut squash you will need 1/2 butternut squash (3-4 C cubed), olive oil and salt.

First you will want to cube your squash, and toss it with olive oil, salt and rosemary. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and roast at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until tender.

Throw the squash into a food processor or blender with 2T of cream or half and half.

Blend until smooth, adding more cream if necessary. If you have let your squash cool then you will probably need more liquid than if you puree it when it's hot out of the oven. And with that your puree is complete! Set puree aside.

Now onto the macaroni sauce. We will start with a basic roux (flour & butter used as a thickener).

Melt your butter over medium heat in either a large skillet or stock pot (like a cast iron pot). Once melted add flour and whisk until it turns a golden color. Then you will add all of your spices: ground mustard, nutmeg and salt are a must, and optional but delicious spices are paprika and pepper. 

Slowly whisk in your milk. Keep whisking until very thick, about 5 minutes.

At this point we will need to temper the egg, which just means bringing the egg slowly to the same heat as the sauce so the egg doesn't turn into a scrambled egg. In a separate bowl lightly scramble the egg. Pour about 1/4 C of sauce in with the egg and slowly mix. You will want to do this about 2 more times.  Then add the egg mixture in with the sauce mixture.

Mix in the squash puree, and it will turn a lovely orange color that looks like cheddar cheese. Once thoroughly mixed you will add in the cheese, saving 1/2 C (or a handful) for the top.

Add in the cooked macaroni and give it a good mix.

Spray a 2 qt or 9x13 baking dish. Add in macaroni, top with a layer of bread crumbs (toasted, if desired) and the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Ingredients:

4 Cups dry Macaroni (1 box ~ 14 oz)

½ Butternut Squash (roughly 3-4 C)

2 T Olive Oil

1 egg

½ stick (4 T)  Butter

¼ C. flour

2 ¾ C. Milk, divided

2 t. Dry Mustard

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. salt

2 C. Sharp Cheddar Cheese

½ Breadcrumbs (optional)

Opt: Rosemary, paprika, more or less mustard

Directions:

Prepare Squash:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Peel and cube squash.  Line a cookie sheet with foil. Toss cubed squash with olive oil, salt, and rosemary. Put into preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until squash is tender.
3. Place roasted squash into food processor with 2 T of milk or half and half. Turn processor on and add up to 2-3 more T of milk to make a creamy butternut squash puree. Set Aside.

Prepare Macaroni:

1. Lower oven temperature to 350
2. Bring water to boil in large pot and cook macaroni according to package directions.  
3. In a large skillet or dutch oven like pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted sprinkle flour over butter and wisk until well combined and a light golden color. Roughly 5 minutes
4. Slowly pour in milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, salt and continue to wisk until very thick, about 5 minutes.
5. Turn stove to low. In a separate bowl lightly beat the egg. Slowly add in ½ C of the milk mixture to temper the egg and continue beating. This brings the egg slowly up to the temperature of the milk mixture to avoid scrambling the egg. Add egg mixture into pan.
6. Wisk in the squash puree. This will give the milk mixture a golden yellow, or orange tint. Once combined, slowly add in the cheese, reserving ¼ C for the top.
7. Combine sauce with the noodles and place into a greased 2 qt casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Top with ½ C toasted bread crumbs and cheese.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.