Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese
I think this dish tastes best the day it’s made, warm and bubbly straight from the oven, but the boys and I ate the reheated leftovers for lunch for a few days without complaint. Just refrigerate any leftovers in a tightly covered container and add a splash of milk when reheating. I always serve it with a big green salad, which provides a welcome balance (both taste-wise and nutrition-wise) to a cheesy pasta dish like this one.
As I mentioned above, this dish is vegetarian-friendly (and just as delicious) if you omit the chicken sausage. You can also make this dish gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour for the sauce and a gluten-free pasta, and omit the breadcrumbs (or make them from gluten-free bread).
Finally, this recipe looks like a lot of steps, but it is relatively easy to pull together and comes together more quickly than it seems. If you are pressed for time, there are a few shortcuts you can take: Omit the chicken sausage; use already-puréed butternut squash* (canned or frozen); use pre-shredded cheese (just try to avoid any unnecessary additives or preservatives); and/or use store-bought packaged breadcrumbs (look for unseasoned breadcrumbs with all-natural, recognizable ingredients; panko breadcrumbs are a good substitute, especially if you like an extra-crispy topping).
As I mentioned above, this dish is vegetarian-friendly (and just as delicious) if you omit the chicken sausage. You can also make this dish gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour for the sauce and a gluten-free pasta, and omit the breadcrumbs (or make them from gluten-free bread).
Finally, this recipe looks like a lot of steps, but it is relatively easy to pull together and comes together more quickly than it seems. If you are pressed for time, there are a few shortcuts you can take: Omit the chicken sausage; use already-puréed butternut squash* (canned or frozen); use pre-shredded cheese (just try to avoid any unnecessary additives or preservatives); and/or use store-bought packaged breadcrumbs (look for unseasoned breadcrumbs with all-natural, recognizable ingredients; panko breadcrumbs are a good substitute, especially if you like an extra-crispy topping).
Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen
Serves: 6 to 8 as a main dish or 8 to 10 as a side dish
Ingredients
- -- Butter, oil, or nonstick cooking spray for coating the inside of the baking dish
- -- ¾ pound mild Italian chicken sausage (optional), casings removed and discarded
- -- 1 pound dried pasta of your choice (I used cavatappi here, but elbow-shaped pasta is the traditional choice. For added nutrition and fiber, use whole-wheat pasta.)
- -- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- -- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- -- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
- -- 2 tablespoons flour
- -- 2 cups milk (I used 1%-fat milk, but 2%-fat or whole milk should also work fine.)
- -- 1½ cups butternut squash purée*
- -- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%-fat Greek yogurt.)
- -- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- -- 4 ounces (about 1 cup) grated Gruyère cheese**
- -- 6 ounces (about 1½ cups) grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus an additional 1 ounce (¼ cup) for sprinkling on top, if desired**
- -- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more (or less) to taste
- -- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- -- Fresh breadcrumbs for topping the casserole (optional, but they add a nice textural contrast if you omit the sausage and make it vegetarian)***
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a casserole dish/Dutch oven or a 13-by-9-inch baking dish (or similarly sized baking dish) with butter, oil, or cooking spray; set aside. (My turquoise enameled cast-iron “casserole” dish pictured here is a 6-quart round Dutch oven.)
- Cook the chicken sausage, if using: Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the chicken sausage. Break the sausage into large chunks with a spoon and cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a couple of pinches of salt and the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions indicate. (You want to undercook the pasta slightly here because it will cook more in the oven.) Drain and set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the garlic, stir for a few seconds, then stir in the flour; cook, stirring continuously, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and cook, whisking frequently, until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash purée, yogurt, and mustard, and whisk until combined and smooth. Turn off the heat, then gradually add the Gruyère and cheddar cheeses (about a cup at a time) and whisk until the cheeses are completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl or pot (I use the pot in which I cooked the pasta), combine the cooked pasta, cooked sausage (if using), and cheese sauce and stir together until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with additional grated cheese and/or breadcrumbs.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the breadcrumbs are crisp and golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Notes
* The last few times I made this dish, in an effort to save time (and also because I just wasn’t in the mood to cook and purée yet another butternut squash), I used canned organic butternut squash purée, which I found at my local Whole Foods Market next to the canned pumpkin (which I imagine would also work as a substitute). I simply measured out 1½ cups of the puréed squash from a 15-ounce can. (You’ll probably have 1 or 2 tablespoons left over.) So easy! Alternatively, you could use frozen butternut squash purée (just thaw it before using), or, if you have fresh butternut squash on hand, you can make your own purée. Here’s how I do it:
To yield about 1½ cups of puréed squash, I start with about 3 cups (1 pound) of peeled and cubed squash (from about half of a large butternut squash). Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or two of water, then place a steamer basket (like this one) inside the pan, making sure that the water isn’t coming up above the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then add the squash cubes to the steamer basket. Turn down the heat to medium, cover the pot with a lid, and steam the squash until soft and easily pierced with a knife, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the squash from the pot and set aside in a bowl to cool to room temperature. Add the cooked and cooled squash to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if needed.
** You can use any combination of these cheeses that you’d like, or use all sharp cheddar if you prefer. In my recipe testing, however, I found that this combination of 1½ cups of sharp cheddar and 1 cup of Gruyère worked the best, as it balanced the sweetness of the squash and provided the best depth of flavor and the silkiest sauce. (In my experience, cheddar alone made for a slightly grainy, yet still tasty, sauce.)
*** To make the breadcrumb topping, mix together in a small bowl:
-- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from about 2 slices of bread, coarsely ground in a food processor)
-- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
-- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or parsley (optional)
-- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Depending on the size of your baking dish (and the surface area of your macaroni and cheese in the dish), you might not need all of the breadcrumb topping. Use as much (or as little) as you'd like.
To yield about 1½ cups of puréed squash, I start with about 3 cups (1 pound) of peeled and cubed squash (from about half of a large butternut squash). Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or two of water, then place a steamer basket (like this one) inside the pan, making sure that the water isn’t coming up above the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then add the squash cubes to the steamer basket. Turn down the heat to medium, cover the pot with a lid, and steam the squash until soft and easily pierced with a knife, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the squash from the pot and set aside in a bowl to cool to room temperature. Add the cooked and cooled squash to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if needed.
** You can use any combination of these cheeses that you’d like, or use all sharp cheddar if you prefer. In my recipe testing, however, I found that this combination of 1½ cups of sharp cheddar and 1 cup of Gruyère worked the best, as it balanced the sweetness of the squash and provided the best depth of flavor and the silkiest sauce. (In my experience, cheddar alone made for a slightly grainy, yet still tasty, sauce.)
*** To make the breadcrumb topping, mix together in a small bowl:
-- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from about 2 slices of bread, coarsely ground in a food processor)
-- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
-- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or parsley (optional)
-- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Depending on the size of your baking dish (and the surface area of your macaroni and cheese in the dish), you might not need all of the breadcrumb topping. Use as much (or as little) as you'd like.
Recipe by Wholesome Family Kitchen at https://www.wholesomefamilykitchen.com/recipe-butternut-squash-macaroni-and-cheese/