Best Wacky Whole Grain Butternut Squash Mac And Cheese Recipes

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously-salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter in a separate large sauté pan until melted. Add the sage leaves (if using) and sauté for 1-2 minutes until crispy. Transfer the sage leaves to a separate plate and set aside.
• Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Then add in the butternut squash and vegetable stock and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the stock reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and mashes easily with a fork.
• Transfer the squash mixture to a blender. Add in the milk and give the mixture a quick stir. Then very carefully (I recommend slightly opening the cap on the blender lid, so that excess steam can escape) pulse the mixture until smooth.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water for later. Then drain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, return the butternut squash mixture back to the sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add in the shredded cheddar cheese, and stir until it has melted into the sauce.
• Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed. (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.)
• Then once the pasta is drained, return it to the stockpot. Pour the butternut cheese sauce on top of the pasta, and toss to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add in some of the hot starchy pasta water to thin it out.
• Serve warm, garnished with the crispy sage leaves if desired.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9" x 11" glass baking dish with oil and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add squash and boil until tender, 5-6 minutes.
• When fork tender, transfer squash with a slotted spoon to a blender.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. When cooked, drain and put back into the pot.
• Meanwhile, add ½ cup vegetable broth, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to the blender with the squash. Blend until smooth and creamy.
• In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the shallots and cook another minute.
• Add the remaining 1 cup broth and milk and whisk to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5 minutes, whisking frequently.
• Remove pot from heat and whisk in cheese, pureed squash, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• Add sauce to noodles, gently mix to combine, then transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture and bake 25 minutes. Switch oven to high broil and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until crumbs are starting to brown.

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!)

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 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.

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.

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.

WACKY WHOLE GRAIN BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine elbow macaroni and water in the bottom of a 9x11-inch baking dish.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk flour into melted butter until smooth. Gradually whisk milk into flour mixture; bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes.
• Stir Cheddar cheese, American cheese, and Parmesan cheese into milk mixture until cheeses are melted and mixture is smooth. Gradually stir butternut squash soup into cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour cheese mixture over elbow macaroni and stir to combine.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top begins to brown, about 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

WHOLE GRAIN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add macaroni and cook al dente, a minute short of however long you typically cook pasta if you were serving it right away. Use a skimmer or strainer to lift macaroni from cooking water and transfer it to a large bowl. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and set aside.
• Add broccoli to boiling water and boil 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain, and then drain again on paper towels or a kitchen towel.
• To make béchamel, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to very low and simmer, whisking often and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 15 minutes, until sauce has thickened and lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Remove from heat.
• Strain béchamel while hot into the bowl with the pasta. Add cheeses and broccoli and stir together until pasta is nicely coated with sauce. Scrape into prepared baking dish.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and the top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Place squash in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until tender., Meanwhile, place yogurt, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a blender. Drain squash and transfer to blender; cover and process until pureed. Return mixture to saucepan; heat through. Stir in cheeses until melted., Drain pasta; add to squash mixture. Toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs., Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.