Skip to main content

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Oh my.

If I can find a good way to sneak just a little more protein into this recipe, I might declare it the perfect food and eat it for every meal. It's amazing.

I worked from this recipe, adding cheddar and spinach and deleting the spices, which really, it doesn't need. Butternut squash is magic in mac and cheese. It fills out the sauce into this really rich, creamy abundance of deliciousness, and it's good for you. I won't call this recipe 100% health food, but it's as close as I've ever gotten to health food with mac and cheese.

Frozen, pre-pureed squash works like a charm here. No need to do anything more difficult. I also used frozen spinach, though that would be easy enough to do from fresh.

The sauce. I literally raised my eyebrows in surprise at how good it was when I tasted it.

Out of the oven, causing some serious salivating in our household.

Without further ado, here's the recipe that capped off a week of snow days in a very positive way.


The Recipe:
1 box whole wheat pasta (I used shells)
2 tb butter
1 small onion, minced
3 tb flour
2 c milk
1/2 c cottage cheese (or ricotta)
1 box frozen, pureed butternut squash
1 bag frozen spinach (or the fresh equivalent, chopped and cooked)
8 oz cheddar, shredded
1/3 c panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cook pasta
  • Saute onion in butter over medium heat until soft
  • Add flour and season with salt and pepper; stir over heat for 1 minute
  • Add milk, stir until warmed through
  • Stir in cottage cheese and vegetables
  • Turn off heat and add more salt/pepper if necessary
  • Stir in cheddar, reserving some for the top
  • Pour pasta into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Pour sauce on top and gently mix.
  • Top with reserved cheese and panko
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

The Verdict: 
Overall grade: A+
Overall reason: Total comfort food, with vegetables!
Time to prepare: 20 minutes, plus baking time
Husband quote: "It even makes the good squishy sound when you serve it. Ccchhhtthwwww, cchhhhttssssppwwwwwwwwwww."


Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. CassadieDecember 15, 2013 at 6:11 PM

    YES! I am making this! Even if I have to trudge through the snow to get my butternut squash. Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.
2 comments
Read more

Adzuki Beans with Black Rice

I hope I don't turn any readers away by featuring cilantro in my first photo. My current food obsession is black rice. I was first introduced to it at  Sushi Pure . It's purple when cooked, and I was completely smitten when purple sushi arrived at our table. I mean, purple sushi! It was like my birthday or something. Actually, it might have been my birthday, because I pretty much always have sushi on my birthday, but anyway. It's kind of sweet and has this great chewy texture. When I learned  how healthy it is , my crush evolved to full-out love. Sushi Pure's Spicy Tuna Roll (photo from FoodSpotting.com) In my ongoing research for ingredients that are low in calories but high in nutrition, adzuki (also spelled azuki) beans came up. I learned that these are the sweet red beans used in Japanese desserts, including red bean ice cream, which I've been obsessed with since I was a kid. But since turning them into ice cream probably negates the health benef...
2 comments
Read more

Spicy Tomato Jam

Little pot of bubbling goodness seeks lentil patties, sweet potato fries, or pretty much anything else. I recently made  this recipe  from Crumb Blog for lentil patties with tomato jam. The lentil patties were pretty good, but the tomato jam was really something to write home about. It's one of those foods that makes you feel warm, even when it's cold. It has just the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice. The mustard seeds are a must (haha, must ard seeds). Their crunch, and the little burst of toasty peppery flavor that follows, are amazing in contrast to the rest of the flavors. The next time you're tempted to put ketchup on something, consider this instead.  I have a little bit of this gold left over in the freezer. I'm thinking I may thin it out with vegetable broth and use it as a sauce for a stir-fry. Stay tuned for the results. The only change I made to this recipe was upping the amount of mustard seeds. I think 1 tsp is the perfect a...
1 comment
Read more