Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

A creamy macaroni and cheese paired with smoky and sweet butternut squash.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American Italian

Keyword: butternut squash mac and cheese

Servings:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Peel, cut and deseed the butternut squash. Cut one half into 2 inch cubes and reserve the other half for another use. Toss the squash with the mixture of salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder and the olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven on a large and rimmed baking sheet for 40-45 minutes or until tender and golden.
While the squash is roasting, make the cheese sauce and cook the macaroni. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, blend in flour with a wire whisk. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes while stirring the entire time, then add milk and stir.
Cook the sauce for 5 minutes, it will gradually thicken, continue stirring with a wire whisk to avoid lumps. When the sauce is the desired consistency take it off the heat and stir in cheddar cheese and allow to melt, then stir to combine.
Drain the pasta and add directly to the sauce, stirring to combine. Then top with the roasted butternut squash.

You will have better results by grating your own cheese rather than using pre-grated cheese. This is because pre-grated cheese often has cellulose added to prevent clumping in the package which prevents proper melting. Grating your own cheese will result in the smoothest sauce.

An mature or sharp cheddar cheese is going to bring a lot more flavour to the dish.

It can be difficult to achieve al dente pasta when it is baked. The trick is to take it out of the boiling water before it has fully cooked. Take a couple of minutes off the boiling time listed on the package as it will continue to soften as it bakes.

Cut the butternut squash into roughly similar sizes before roasting to ensure that all pieces cook at a similar rate.