Butternut Macaroni Cheese Recipes

BUTTERNUT MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the macaroni until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
• Carefully cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle half of the squash with olive oil and place it on a rimmed baking sheet cut-side up (reserve the other half of the squash in the fridge for another use). Roast, watching to make sure the surface doesn't get burned (it should have some brown areas, however), until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Scrape out the flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
• While the squash is roasting, add the onions and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a large, ovenproof skillet over low to medium-low heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they're deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove them to a plate.
• In the same skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle over the flour and whisk it to make a thin paste. Cook it for 2 minutes, then whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking gently, until slightly thick, a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. You'll probably want to add more salt!
• Turn the heat to low and stir in the mashed butternut squash. When it is warm, stir in the cheese. If the sauce is overly thick when the cheese is melted, add a splash of milk. Keep stirring until the sauce is nice and hot, then stir in the macaroni. Taste and add more salt if needed.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a pan and combine it with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the macaroni and bake (I do it straight in the skillet) until the crumbs are golden and the edges bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the squash with the olive oil and some seasoning, and roast on a baking sheet for 15-20 mins until tender. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni following pack instructions, then drain.
• Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour and mustard powder to make a paste. Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer to thicken to a smooth sauce, stirring constantly.
• Take the sauce off the heat and mash in a third of the squash with the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Season, then stir in the drained macaroni with the remaining squash. Tip into an ovenproof dish, scatter with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 15 mins until golden and bubbling.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water then add the pasta and cook to al dente or, with a bite to it.
• While pasta cooks, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the thyme and grate the onion directly into the pot with a hand held grater or Microplane. Cook the grated onion in butter and oil 1 to 2 minutes, then add flour and cook together 1 to 2 more minutes. Whisk in stock, then combine with butternut squash until warmed through and smooth. Stir in cream or half-and-half and bring sauce to a bubble. Stir in cheeses in a figure 8 motion and season the completed sauce with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings.
• Drain cooked pasta well and combine with sauce. Serve alongside chicken sammies and top with thyme leaves picked from remaining sprigs (Boo would also have a little extra sprinkle of that cheese, please!)

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
• Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.
• Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Place cooked squash in the bowl of a food processor; process until pureed. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in cooked pasta, milk, cottage cheese, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, bouillon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and black pepper until completely blended and creamy. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT MAC-N-CHEESE

Steps:

• Roast the butternut squash. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place in roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and cook until soft all the way through, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool. When cooled, remove skin and place in food processor. Purée until smooth.
• Make cheese sauce. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour. Stir to make a roux and cook 3 minutes, stirring the entire time. Add 3 cups milk and stir until thickened. Add the rest of the milk and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the dish: Place cooked elbow macaroni in bowl. Pour half of the cheese sauce over and add puréed, roasted butternut squash. Fold together. If it seems too dry, add the rest of the cheese sauce. Place in an ovenproof dish and heat for 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place butternut squash, cut-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Roast squash in the preheated oven until soft, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove squash flesh from skin and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk flour and mustard into melted butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk milk into flour mixture until the mixture has the texture of heavy cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir butternut squash, white Cheddar cheese, and Cheddar cheese into milk mixture until cheese is melted. Stir rotini into cheese mixture. Pour cheese mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with bread crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bread crumbs are golden, about 10 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SAGE MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss two-thirds of the butternut squash with the olive oil and seasoning, and roast for 20 mins until nearly tender (it will finish cooking later). Chop the remaining squash coarsely, put in a heatproof bowl with 100ml water and cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 8-10 mins until tender. Drain and mash.
• Fry the onion in a knob of butter until softened but not browned, about 5 mins. Stir in the chopped sage and cook for 1 min more, then add the remaining butter to melt. Stir in the flour and mustard powder, and cook for 1 min until it forms a paste. Gradually whisk in splashes of milk (you can add in bigger additions as you go) until you have a smooth sauce. Bubble, stirring constantly, for 3-5 mins until thickened. Take off the heat and whisk in the mashed squash, 200g of the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Season to taste.
• Cook the macaroni following pack instructions. Drain well, then stir into the sauce with the roasted squash. Tip into a baking dish and scatter with the remaining cheese and sage leaves. Can be made up to a day ahead at this point - cool and keep in the fridge. If freezing, don't add the whole sage leaves.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 again. Splash the sage leaves with oil and bake for 40 mins until bubbling and golden on top.

BUTTERNUT MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Lightly oil butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Set butternut squash, cut-side down, on the lined baking sheet.
• Roast in the preheated oven until butternut squash can easily be pierced with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and crumble when cool enough to handle.
• At the same time, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• Remove 2 cups hot pasta water to a liquid measure; add bouillon cube and stir to dissolve. Drain pasta.
• Pour 1 cup broth from the liquid measure into a large pot. Scoop roasted butternut squash flesh into the pot and blend with an immersion blender, adding more broth as needed to achieve a light creamy texture.
• Place the pot over medium heat and mix in Cheddar cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and sauce is thick. Add drained pasta and mix to combine. Adjust seasoning to your liking.
• Serve topped with crumbled bacon.

BUTTERNUT MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Squash:.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut squash in half, lengthwise and rub cut side with olive oil.
• Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast for 60 - 75 minutes or until completely cooked and soft.
• Scoop out flesh while still warm and break apart with a spoon.
• Timing-wise, finish the squash roughly the same time the pasta and the sauce is cooked so that it's still warm.
• NOTE: You can change the ratio of squash to macaroni if you want it to be more or less squashy-I think this ratio is ideal because is comes out like mac n' cheese but there is still a good amount of squash hiding in there --.
• Cook macaroni in salted water.
• Let drain well. Timing-wise, finish the pasta and the sauce about the same time.
• Sauce:.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter on MEDIUM heat until shimmery.
• Stir in the onion as it's prepped, then the nutmeg and white pepper, cook until onions soften.
• Stir in the flour and mix well.
• A tablespoon at a time, add the milk, incorporating each tablespoon well before adding another. (If you add it all at once, or without working in each time, there's risk of ending up with a lumpy sauce).
• Stirring often, let the sauce come almost to the boiling point, it will thicken slightly.
• Add the cheese and let melt, adjusting temperature so that the sauce won't boil. (It's not a disaster if it does, since it's going into the casserole, but it'll look curdled).
• COMBINE.
• In a large bowl, break the squash apart, mashing it really, with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the hot, drained pasta and combine well, distributing the squash throughout. Stir in the sauce and combine well.
• Transfer to a greased baking dish.
• If you like, sprinkle the top with pimento or paprika.
• If making ahead, let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.
• BAKE.
• Return dish to room temperature.
• Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout.
• To add color to the top, place under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes, watching carefully so not to burn. When covered with foil, holds its temperature for a good 30 minutes.