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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."


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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

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