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Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

November 15, 2015   7 Comments

Can you hide a pound of butternut squash in a casserole of mac & cheese? Should you even try?

butternut squash mac and cheese

I decided to take up the challenge since I make a ton of macaroni & cheese for my 9 year old son – who loves it more than anything.

I did not tell him that I was changing his favorite dish. He noticed right away that something was different (not as cheesy as usual) and rolled his eyes at me. “Mom, what did you do to my mac & cheese?”

Then he ate it.

When you sneak in vegetables to a dish, you add fiber, vitamins, and all sorts of nutrients. This recipe has 15% of your daily value of iron, 29% of your calcium and 128% of your vitamin A.

I believe it is pretty good and almost like the real thing. It helps that butternut squash is orange and sweet. Don’t try this with spinach ☺

Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

1.6 from 24 reviews

Makes 8 servings

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Ingredients

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound elbow macaroni or fusilli
2 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten in a small bowl

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray non-stick spray on a 9x13 casserole dish. In a large saucepan, heat squash and vegetable stock. Cook at a simmer for about ten minutes until squash is tender. Mash with a potato masher, and mix in milk, nutmeg, cayenne, salt. While squash is cooking, cook macaroni via package directions.

Toss macaroni in with the squash and add cheese and eggs. Mix and place into casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes until eggs are cooked through and squash is not too liquidy.

Nutrition Facts

For ¾ cup = 381 calories, 12.0 g fat, 6.9 g saturated fat, 51.0 g carbohydrates, 4.4 g sugar, 17.4 g protein, 3.0 g fiber, 358 mg sodium, 8 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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7 Comments:

I made this! The fam loves it - first batch was a little dry, so I adjusted the 2nd time and added some broth, which also provides extra flavoring. Freezes well too....

This looks and sounds so good, Lisa! I tend to shy away from mac 'n chz because its hard to stop at one serving and is, ahem, you know, not good for my output. So when I do make it, I'd usually add some good fiber, like peas, broccoli or cannellini beans. I like the way the BN squash actually looks cheesy; the only personal change I'd make is to top it with my homemade breadcrumb concoction that I keep in the freezer and bake uncovered until toasted. In my house we fight over the slightly crunchy bits!

FWIW: My standard breadcrumb recipe: About 1 loaf stale italian or chiabatta bread, 1c parm, sm. bunch parsley, 5 to 6 lrg garlic cloves - in food processor until well pulverized; bag up and keep in freezer. This makes so many recipes quick and easy, like meatballs, cutlets, stuffed artichokes, fish or chicken topping, etc.

Well this looks interesting.

The easiest way to cook a squash is in the crock pot. You just toss it in and cook on low 5-8 hrs depending on its size. Cool a few min, slice open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Scoop flesh from skin and mash.

BarbL, that bread crumb concoction looks amazing! And so convenient to always have it in the freezer!

Question about the Mac n cheese...when mashing the squash, do you drain out the stock first, or leave it to add moisture?

The stuffing looks delicious...never had it without sausage....am thinking of making it,since I need to watch my fat intake.....sure hope I like it.....:)

We made this last week and it was a huge hit with all of us! Husband and two year old included! Thank you for the great recipe.

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