Mac & Cheese – every family’s favourite dish! It is easy, quick and delicious. One can almost think there is no way it can get any better. Well guess what… It can! Combine the sweet, velvet taste of the butternut squash with the sourness and richness of the mac and cheese and there you have it – the perfect Thanksgiving or Fall meal – Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese.
This tasty dish can go so many ways and can be combined with different ingredients, if you are in for a twist and like to spice things up. We are ready to show you 3 amazing, finger-licking recipes for Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese, that will leave you wanting for more!
There is something for everyone in our recipes and we hope you will love them! Here there are – How to make butternut squash mac & cheese 3 different ways:
The Classic Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound or roughly 500 g of elbow macaroni
For the sauce:
- 1.2-2 oz or 50 g of butter
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 onion
- 1 butternut squash
- 4 cups of chicken broth or water
- ½-1 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp pepper
- ½ cup mozzarella
- ½ cup cheddar
Instruction
Step 1 – Boil the pasta
On the stove, prepare two large pots – one of them fill with salted water and bring to a boil. As soon as that happens, get your pasta and put it inside. Make sure to stir so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
It will take it around 8-12 minutes to get perfectly cooked.
The other pot will be for the sauce.
Step 2 – Prepare your ingredients for the sauce
Grab your squash and cut the top and bottom, now with a knife(not with a peeler) remove the thick skin. If you are ready, slice the squash in two through the middle and then in quarters.
We aim to make cubes of the squash, the size should be roughly the same, so they cook evenly.
After that, cut your onion, again the size of the onion pieces should be roughly the size of the squash cubes. Once done, grate your cheese and leave it aside.
Step 3 – Making the sauce
Heat up the stove and put the butter in the empty pot. Move it around until it melts and then put the sage leaves there. Let them crisp up for about 30-40 seconds and add the chopped onions. Cook them until they start becoming translucent.
Now is the time to add the butternut squash. Give it a few stirs for a couple of minutes and then pour the stock or water. Season with salt and pepper. Let it cook on high heat for about 5 minutes while stirring and then turn down the heat and leave it to simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Tip: When ready, the butternut squash should be soft on the inside.
After 20-25 minutes your sauce should be ready, now you have to blend it, you can use food processer as well. Drain some of the excess broth that is in the pot and save it for later as you might need it.
Now that everything is in the blender, add the milk. If after you have blended the pasta, you think it is too thick, add some of the broth you saved, from cooking the sauce.
Step 4 – Assembling the dish
Your pasta is ready – drain all water and get it back in the pot, where you cooked the sauce, or in another deep dish. Pour the sauce over and add the cheese – stir until combined. Everything should look very smooth and velvety.
Taste and season with more salt or pepper, if needed.
Grate some extra cheese on top, if you have any left. Enjoy!
For those who like meat in every dish – you will definitely love this next recipe!
Roasted Butternut Mac & Cheese with Bacon and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pound or 450 g of conchiglie rigate
- bacon
For the sauce:
- 4 cups of butternut squash
- 4 oz or 100g of butter
- olive oil
- 2-3 yellow or red tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 rosemary
- 1 cup of veggie broth
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- ½ cup gruyere cheese
Instructions
Step 1 – Prepare your veggies
Preheat your oven to 392°F or 200°C. Peel the butternut squash, chop it, the onion and the tomatoes into cubes – they should be roughly the same size. Put baking paper on a metal tray and settle the veggies on it. You can add also the cloves of garlic and rosemary.
Drizzle some olive oil and do not be afraid to be more generous, salt and pepper on top and roast them for about 40-50 minutes.
Step 2 – Prepare the sauce
After you have roasted your veggies, grab a big pot and leave it on high heat. Put half of the butter and some olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the roasted vegetables (with the garlic, without the rosemary), the cream and the broth. Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes, cayenne.
Make sure to stir for a minute and then let it simmer for 15 minutes more.
Step 3 – Boil the pasta, cook the bacon, grate the cheese
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil. Put your pasta in and cook it until ready. It should take anywhere from 8-15 minutes.
Once ready, drain it and let it sit.
While the pasta is boiling, chop your bacon into small cubes. Grab a pan and heat it up with some butter – 1 tsp will be enough. Let the butter brown – this will give us a richer and deeper flavour. Add the bacon and stir until it gets caramelized. Let it rest – we will come back to it later.
Grate the cheese in a dish.
Step 4 – Blend the sauce and bake the mac & cheese
After 15 minutes of simmering on low heat, your sauce should be ready – drain any excess liquid and save it for later. Blend on high speed and add more from the broth if you think the sauce is too thick.
Drain the cooked pasta and combine it with the creamy sauce, the grated cheese and the bacon – stir again. Transfer into a casserole and sprinke on top some more grated cheese.
Bake on 356°F or 180°C for 15 minutes.
Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? But we are far from done – our last recipe is innovative and most importantly -vegan! Let’s see how to make it.
Vegan Butternut Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound or 450 g of farfalle pasta
- 1 butternut squash
For the sauce:
- 4 cups of soy milk
- 2 oz or 50 g coconut oil
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- the juice of 1 lime
- the zest of 1 lime
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- your favourite brand of vegan cheese
Instructions
Step 1 – Boil the pasta and prepare the ingredients for the sauce
Fill a pot with salted water and boil it, then add the pasta – it should take 7-12 minutes to get cooked. While the pasta is boiling, peel the squash and cut it in cubes. Juice one lime and zest it afterwards.
Grate the vegan cheese.
Step 2 – Cook the sauce
Grab another large pot and heat it up on the stove. Melt the coconut oil, add the squash and cook it for about 3-4 minutes on high temperature. It should start to caramelize.
At this point, you must pour in the milk and add all of the seasonings with the lime juice. At the end sprinkle the zest. Stir and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
Step 3 – Blend the sauce
The pasta must be ready by now – you can drain it in the sink and leave it, we will need it in a second. Blend the sauce or use a food processer. Once it’s consistency is smooth and silky, pour it over the pasta. Mix it up well and combine with the grated cheese.
And there you have it – a perfect vegan butternut squash mac and cheese dish with a little bit of spice to it!
Stay tuned for more exciting recipes like these!
