Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Name: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 cups diced butternut squash (about 1 pound of squash, you’ll need 2/3 cup of cooked, mashed squash); 2 cups milk; 1/4 cup butter (unsalted); 1/4 cup flour; 1/2 pound mezzi rigatoni (or any small shaped pasta such as elbow macaroni or penne); 1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded); 3/4 cup smoked gouda cheese (shredded); 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (shredded); 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (ground); 1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese is the creamiest and most satisfying combination of squash, cheese and pasta that I've ever found. The cheese sauce is rich and creamy and the seasonings are light and just a bit nutty thanks to nutmeg and a dash of Tabasco sauce. This is a delicious way to serve macaroni and cheese any time of year!

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Large dish of mac and cheese with a serving spoon scooping up a portion. — This is the ultimate mac and cheese, we can thank the butternut squash for elevating everything about how this recipe tastes.

I love this recipe, and think you will too! When it comes to flavor, the combination of butternut squash, three cheeses and pasta creates classic comfort food and a wonderful taste! Creamy, cheesy goodness abounds in this dish. I've made a lot of mac and cheese over the years, but this is my favorite way to prepare it. Whether you serve it as a side or the main course, this is a winner.

What You'll Need

butternut squash
pasta
cheddar cheese
smoked gouda cheese
parmesan cheese
butter
flour
milk
nutmeg
tabasco sauce
salt
pepper

Diced butternut squash on a marble counter. — Dice the butternut squash into small, one or two inch cubes. Better yet, buy them from the grocery store this way.

Can I use canned or frozen butternut squash?

Fortunately, there are plenty of options for getting to the interior of a butternut squash and either frozen or canned butternut squash will work. But I think the texture and flavor is far better when using fresh squash in this recipe. I do like shortcuts though, and often buy the squash at the grocery store already cubed or peeled. But if you are willing to peel and cube a whole squash, all the better. I offer tips on how to prepare a butternut squash in my recipe for Cookie Crumb Casserole.

Three types of grated cheese mounded on a cutting board. — Cheddar, smoked gouda and parmesan combine for a unique cheesy flavor that helps make this recipe a standout.

A Few Tips

Mac and cheese is famous for including plenty of yummy cheddar cheese and this recipe is no exception. But here the combination of cheddar, along with smoked gouda and parmesan cheeses improves the flavor. Smoked gouda has a richer flavor than regular gouda cheese and I think it's a great complement to the butternut squash.

Shredded cheeses, butternut squash spices and cream sauce in a pan with a wise. — Blend the cheese, squash and spices with the hot cream sauce and whisk together off the stove, this will keep the milk and cheeses from scorching.

I recommend using bite-sized pasta for this recipe. You'll want pasta that's in a shape that will be able to hold plenty of the creamy cheese sauce in every bite. My favorite size and shape is mezzi rigatoni, which is a rigatoni that's slightly smaller than standard rigatoni pasta. Other good options include elbow macaroni, penne pasta or shells.

Pasta and cheese sauce in the pan, being stirred with a wooden spoon. — Use the same pot that you cooked the pasta in to make the cheese sauce. Then add the pasta back into the pan, stir and you are ready for the oven.

Use a baking dish that holds two quarts. A larger, glass baking dish works fine too, but the mac and cheese layer will be thinner and will cook faster. If you use a dish larger than two quarts, reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes.

Mac and cheese in a dish with a serving spoon. — This dish is classic comfort food, be ready to accommodate second helpings!

The Inspiration

I was inspired to come up with the recipe after seeing how much my daughter enjoyed Trader Joe's version of the classic fall dish.

In developing this recipe I learned a bit more about cream sauces. The sauce in my recipe begins with what my mom would call a good old fashioned white sauce. But since it's seasoned with nutmeg, it becomes what very fancy folks in the kitchen might call a classic béchamel sauce. I like how Bon Appetite magazine explains what that pretty name actually means. But I'm not one for being too fancy. Let's just add the cheese, stir it up with pasta and enjoy every delicious bite.

Here are more of my favorite comfort food recipes. Be sure to let me know what you think of these too! Share your rating by adding stars each time you cook something from the Crinkled Cookbook.

Blue Cheese and Rosemary Scalloped Potatoes

Turkey Pot Pie

The Best Jambalaya

This is the creamiest and most satisfying combination of squash, cheese and pasta that I've ever found. The cheese sauce is rich, thick and delicious.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 461kcal

Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

Ingredients

3 cups diced butternut squash about 1 pound of squash, you’ll need ⅔ cup of cooked, mashed squash
2 cups milk
¼ cup butter unsalted
¼ cup flour
½ pound mezzi rigatoni or any small shaped pasta such as elbow macaroni or penne
1 ¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded
¾ cup smoked gouda cheese shredded
½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
¼ teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 2-quart baking dish with Pam or grease with shortening.

Cook Butternut Squash

Cook the cubed butternut squash in the microwave oven with a tablespoon of water. Depending on your microwave, it should take about 15 minutes on high power. You'll want the squash to be very tender. Mash the cooked squash with a fork or potato masher to create ⅔ cup of cooked squash. Set it aside until the cheese sauce is ready.

Cook Pasta

Cook pasta on the stovetop using the minimum cooking time listed on the packaging. For mezzi rigatoni (small rigatoni) it’s about 9 minutes. While pasta is cooking, shred all three cheeses. Set aside about ¼ cup of the Cheddar and ¼ cup of the Gouda, that will be used for the topping.
Drain pasta in a colander and leave the pasta there while you make the sauce.

Prepare Cheese Sauce

Use the same pan to melt butter and whisk in flour. Stir over medium heat until butter is foamy, and whisk for about 20 seconds. Add two cups of milk and continue stirring until the milk becomes like a thick cream sauce.
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining cheddar, smoked gouda and the parmesan cheeses and cooked butternut squash. Add nutmeg, tabasco, salt and pepper and stir. Add macaroni and stir again.

Bake

Place ingredients into prepared baking dish.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and sprinkle the reserved cheddar and gouda on top of the hot macaroni. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly around the edges.
As an option, garnish with a dash of paprika and a little parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 22gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 953mgPotassium: 437mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 8277IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 606mgIron: 2mg

Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database and are offered here only as a guideline for informational purposes.

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What You'll Need

A Few Tips

The Inspiration