emmakitchen Happy 2021! I’m a little late to the game with my first post of the new year, but I promise you it’ll be worth the wait. Today I’m bringing you this absolutely delicious Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. It’s wonderfully rich and cheesy yet still good for you! I made this in the fall when squash was all the rage, and it very quickly became a fan-favorite in our house⏤ so much so that we had it for New Year’s Eve dinner.
Before I get into it, I’d like to explain my absence. Now that it’s gotten colder out and resorts are open, I’ve been skiing a lot lately. So much that I haven’t had time for much else! After being pent-up all of last year, having an activity that’s COVID-safe yet still social feels so good. There’s simply no place like the slopes.
However, despite that, I’m going to get back to a more consistent posting schedule. Around Christmastime, I’m sure some of you noticed that I was making new posts almost every week. I loved having the time to do that, and it made me feel more committed to this blog. So, as kind of a New Year’s resolution, I’m going to prioritize posting regularly in the coming weeks 🙂 I can’t wait to bring you all some cool new stuff. Speaking of…
inspiration for butternut squash mac & cheese
My inspiration for posting this recipe today is, it’s 2021! If you’re anything like me, entering the new year means getting back on your diet. No small feat after a month of holiday cookies and decadent dinners! But, never fear: this Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is the perfect dish to ease you back into a healthy lifestyle.
It features just enough ‘vices’ to be delicious: Gruyére and cheddar cheeses, a crunchy breadcrumb topping, and even a dash of heavy cream. However, this Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is made lighter with creamy squash purée and fat-free milk. These take the place of the most fattening ingredients in traditional mac & cheese (butter, cheese, cream…), so this is a much more virtuous choice.
All of these well-balanced elements come together to create a creamy, unctuous pasta that clocks in at only 281 calories a cup. I know, right?! It sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. Pair this with an arugula-balsamic salad (or, go cheese-crazy and make my Cheesy Cauliflower Bites) and you’ve got yourself a tasty, nutrient-packed dinner. I would highly recommend this for mindful eaters or anyone who loves the earthy, peppery flavors of winter. With that, let’s move onto the design of this recipe.
designing this mac
So, this recipe is heavily adapted from that of one of my favorite food bloggers ever, Skinnytaste. All of her recipes are amazing, but the Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese might be my favorite. It’s saucy, cheesy, and I really like the way she used the shallots in it. Her mac is super good as-is, but I decided to make a few tweaks to take it to the next level.
For example, I chose to use chicken broth in place of the low-sodium vegetable broth because it brings out the savory richness of the squash purée. The meaty taste connects pleasantly with the seasonings and cheese and creates almost an umami flavor. It’s super addictive! However, if you’re vegetarian, you could definitely follow the original instructions.
Some other changes I made include adding mustard powder, sage, and heavy cream, but we will get into that more in the ingredients & technique.
ingredients & technique for butternut squash mac & cheese
- Butternut Squash: Butternut squash can be so tough to manage. I always struggle with dicing it up, and I find that the easiest way is to slice it into rings, then cut the skin off.
- Pasta: For the pasta in this dish, I prefer to use mezzi rigatoni. It’s delicious and the perfect size. However, if you can’t get ahold of it, regular rigatoni is fine (in fact, it’s what I had to use today), or you could use a pasta shape of your choice. I wouldn’t recommend anything too small, though, like elbows, because this mac & cheese is pretty saucy and the noodles might get lost. Also, VERY important: another change I made to the original recipe is to take the pasta out BEFORE it even hits al dente. It should have a little crunch to it when you add it to the sauce. This way, when it bakes in the oven, the pasta will retain its bite and get perfectly cooked instead of becoming a mushy mess.
- Mustard Powder, Paprika, Minced Onion, Thyme, Sage, & Cayenne: To make this mac & cheese as delicious as possible, I raided the spice cabinet. None of these seasonings are included in the original recipe, but I just think they add a little extra something to the sauce. The mustard powder especially⏤ adding a dash into mac & cheese is an old family secret. Make sure you do this, it enhances the cheese flavor and adds a sharpness to the squash. I also used a heavy hand with the paprika, sage, and thyme; those warm spices go very well in this.
- Chicken Broth: I already touched on this, but chicken broth is the way to go. You could use vegetable broth if you want to make this recipe vegetarian, or even beef stock if you want a deeper ‘meat’ flavor, but I haven’t tried either.
- Flour: The base for the sauce in Butternut Squash is a roux, which can be easy to screw up if you’re not familiar with the process. It’s a combination of fat and flour, and the ‘fat’ we’re using is butter. You sautée a minced shallot in butter and then, once the shallot is translucent, sprinkle the flour over top. It’ll soak up the butter and form clumps, but you have to whisk constantly, or else those clumps won’t dissolve once the broth/milk are added and you’ll have pockets of raw flour. Ew.
- Heavy Cream: I decided to combine just the scantest bit of heavy cream into the milk that goes into the sauce. It’s not necessary, but it adds a little richness for barely any calories. Talk about bang for your buck.
- Cheese: I’m going to cover every use of cheese in this recipe right now. So, to keep this recipe light, 1/2 cup of each cheese is used. This gives it just enough salty, cheesy flavor to be delicious, but still let the earthiness of the squash shine through. It’s a great balance. However, if you’re looking for that ooey-gooey, stretchy cheese-pull type of thing, feel free to up the amount of cheese used. This recipe is definitely squash-centric. For the topping, which uses Parmesan cheese, I just would like to note that I think subbing in Pecorino Romano instead of parm would be amazing. I haven’t tried it, just sounds good. If you do, lmk!
I think that’s all I’ve got for the ingredients & technique on this Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. Let’s talk about the process.
process for butternut squash mac & cheese
prep
Alright, so the very first step to this Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is to get your water boiling on high heat. A clever little trick that I like using is to add some sage and thyme to your water before boiling along with the salt. That way, it’s able to steep and really release those herby flavors. Once the squash is added, it gets infused and adds such a depth of flavor to the end product. You’re literally building your flavor profile from the very beginning, and it pays off!
squash
Once the squash is fork-tender and fully cooked, drain it and put into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Next, add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and all of the seasonings. Feel free to adjust the spices to your tastes; if you like a little bit of a kick, use extra cayenne or black pepper. Blend until smooth. It’s okay if your pureé comes out a little bit grainy, it’ll all work out once it’s added to the cheese and the roux.
pasta & topping
Now that the squash is taken care of, it’s time to cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted (you don’t need to add herbs to this one!) water to a boil, pour in your noodles, and cook for about 5 minutes. I like to through together the crunchy topping while I’m waiting, which includes panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and a healthy dose of black pepper. Yum!
sauce
After the pasta is drained, it’s squash sauce time! Heat the butter, and while it’s melting, quickly dice one shallot. Add it and sauté until translucent and fragrant. Then, sprinkle the flour over top. It’ll coat the shallots and form fond on the bottom of the pan (see photo). Cook for another minute, just to ensure that raw-flour taste is gone, then pour in the remaining chicken broth and the milk/cream. Whisk CONSTANTLY to prevent lumps and bring to a boil!
sauce, cont’d ☏
Let the mixture boil for about a minute or until thickened, then reduce the heat and cook for a few more minutes, still whisking constantly. If you still manage to get clumps of flour, here’s how to troubleshoot if you end up with a lumpy sauce. After it’s simmered, remove from the heat and whisk in the cheeses, salt, and pepper. It’ll thicken up and start tasting delicious! Mix well to ensure the cheese melts evenly.
cheese ⇢ mac
To finish off the sauce, pour in the squash pureé that was prepared earlier. Swirl it around until it’s fully combined in the cheese sauce; you’ll get a gorgeous golden-yellow color. The mixture will be pretty thick, but that’s OK. After that, you’re almost ready to eat! Just add in the noodles, give it a good stir, and pour into a greased baking dish.
Looks absolutely delicious, no?!
bake!
Lastly, it’s time to bake this Butternut Squash Mac & cheese. Spread the parmesan/panko breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top and place in the oven at 375°F for 25 minutes. After that, switch the oven to broil (500°F) and cook for an extra 2-3 minutes, until the crumbs on top are brown and the sauce is bubbling. Then, remove from the oven, prepare yourself for the best healthy mac ‘n’ cheese you’ve ever had, and serve piping-hot!
It really doesn’t get better than this. So now, what you’ve all been waiting for: the recipe.
recipe for butternut squash mac & cheese
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Equipment
- Oven
- Food processor/blender
- 9×11" baking dish
- Large sauce-pot
Ingredients
mac
- 1 1/4 tsp sage divided
- 1 1/4 tsp thyme divided
- 1 pound butternut squash cubed
- 10 oz rigatoni or pasta of your choice
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth divided
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried minced onion or onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt divided
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper divided, plus extra to taste
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium shallot
- 1/4 cup unbleached flour
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 tsp heavy cream
- 1/2 cup gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
topping
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
squash & mac
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 9×11" baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Cut and peel one pound fresh butternut squash. Fill a large sauce-pot with water and add 1 tsp each of sage and thyme as well as a dash of salt. Bring to a boil and add the squash. Cook until fork-tender, about 10 minutes, then drain and transfer to a food processor.
- Pour 1/2 cup of the chicken broth into the drained squash. Add the garlic powder, minced onion, paprika, dried mustard, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper, then purée until the mixture is smooth. It will be a bit grainy, but that's OK.
- Heat another pot of water until boiling and stir in the pasta. Cook until just below al dente, 5-6 minutes (the pasta should still be slightly hard). Pour into a colander and set aside.
topping
- While the pasta is cooking, toss together the panko breadcrumbs, fresh Parmesan, pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
sauce
- Mince the shallot (or, half an onion and a clove of garlic) and melt the butter over medium heat. Sauteé for 3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Dredge the flour over the shallots and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, milk, and cream. Whisk together until combined. Heat sauce until boiling, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Take the sauce off the heat and whisk in both cheeses, the remaining salt and pepper, and the squash purée. Add in the pasta and stir until coated.
- Spread the sauced pasta evenly in the prepared baking dish. Generously sprinkle the panko mixture on top and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Then, broil for 2 minutes or until the mac starts to brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe from www.SoCosmopoliteen.com
- Adapted from www.skinnytaste.com
- First recipe of 2021! 🙂
fín
There you have it: an absolutely delicious, savory, veggie-packed mac ‘n’ cheese recipe! This Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese will curb all your pasta craving and is a great simple recipe to have in your arsenal. I cannot praise it enough and truly thank Skinnytaste for creating the base recipe!
As always, be sure to let me know if you make this! I usually post baking recipes on here, so I was super excited to finally introduce a tasty lunch or dinner option. I really love this dish, and hope you do too!
Again, happy 2021, and I seriously hope you love this post!
