Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
This recipe is so easy and so amazingly good. Sweet Butternut squash roasted and blended with 3 cheeses and topped with Buttery Panko Breadcrumb topping with Crispy Sage and Thyme. It truly is fall in a dish!
Equipment
- 1 lined baking sheet
- 1 Immersion blender or vitamix
- 1 Saucepot
- 1 Baking dish, or individual oven proof bowls
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Cubed Butternut Squash Or 5 Cups
- 2 Tbl Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Butter
- ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour
- 3 Cups Milk or Half and Half
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar (shred it yourself)
- ½ Cup Shredded Gouda (shred it yourself)
- ½ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 lb. Rigatoni
Buttery Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbl Chopped Fresh Sage
- 1 teaspoon Chopped Fresh Thyme
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Butter
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Cook Pasta according to directions on package then set aside.
- Placed cubed butternut squash on lined baking sheet.
- Toss with 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Bake at 400°f for 30 minutes or until squash is tender.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350℉.
- Melt ¼ Cup Butter in large sauce pot.
- Whisk ¼ cup Flour into melted butter. Cook the flour and butter for 2 minutes until there are no lumps and it smells nutty.
- Slowly whisk in 3 cups half and half or milk. Whisk it until there are no lumps.
- Add cubed butternut squash to half and half mixture.
- Turn off the heat and use immersion blender to blend the squash into a smooth mixture. You can also blend it in a high powered blender, or mash it by hand.
- Add the 3 cheeses as well as dry mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.
- Gently stir the sauce into the cooked pasta and then set aside.
- Spoon Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese into oven proof bowls or large casserole dish.
- Top with buttery panko breadcrumb topping (see recipe below).
- Bake in oven at 350° for 30 minutes until topping is golden brown and bubbling.
- Let sit about 10-15 minutes before serving. It will be VERY HOT!
- Enjoy!
Buttery Panko Breadcrumb Topping
- Melt ¼ cup butter in skillet.
- Add chopped sage and thyme to butter and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add panko to butter and sage and thyme and stir to combine remove from heat.
- Spoon Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese into oven proof bowls or large casserole dish.
Notes
Notes
- While you can use pre-shredded cheeses, I recommend that you shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheeses contain an anti-caking agent that can cause the cheese sauce to be gritty.
- You can freeze any leftovers in a snap top container. Just thaw it in the fridge the night before you are ready to eat it so it has time to thaw. It is very dense when it freezes and takes a while to thaw all the way.
- feel free to add diced chilis or jalapeños for a little kick!
- You can change up the cheeses if you'd like. Some other cheeses that work really well in this recipe are, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, American, or Fontina.
Nutrition
Calories: 1353kcal | Carbohydrates: 141g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 67g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 2123mg | Potassium: 1497mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 26102IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 1125mg | Iron: 5mg