Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Macaroni pasta in a cheese sauce with butternut squash, sage and garlic

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Cheese, Savoury

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 15

Servings

Calories 603kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

500 g Macaroni pasta
450 g Butternut squash peeled, chopped into squares
150 ml Water

For the cheese sauce

75 g Butter unsalted
2-3 cloves Fresh garlic
6 tbsp Plain flour (all purpose flour)
625 ml Milk
100 ml Single cream
300 g Mature cheddar
2 tsp Dried sage
½ tsp Salt optional, to taste

For the topping

50 g Mature cheddar
15 g Panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan
Place the cubes of chopped butternut squash into a microwavable bowl and add the water. Cover the bowl with cling film and pierce a hole in the top with a knife. Microwave the squash for 15 minutes on high, or until soft. You can check it via the hole in the cling film. When it is done, drain off the water and use a fork to roughly mash the squash. If you want a smoother puree, use a blender instead
Meanwhile, set some water to boil and add the pasta. Boil according to the packet instructions, usually 10 minutes, then drain and add to your baking dish
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat. Add the garlic into the melted butter and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add the plain flour and whisk it into the butter, let it cook for 1 minute. Then start adding the milk slowly, bit by bit, with each addition whisk the milk well into the flour to avoid a lumpy sauce. When all the milk is added, add the cream and stir it in. Turn up the sauce to a medium heat, stir it constantly with a silicone spatula making sure to scrap along the bottom and sides of the pan as you stir (this is stop the sauce from catching) keep doing this until the sauce thickens, around 3-5 minutes
Turn off the heat and add the cheese, stir until it has melted into the sauce. Add the sage and salt, if using. Add the mashed up squash to the cheese sauce and mix it in. Pour the sauce over the pasta, stir the mixture gently so that the sauce evenly coats the pasta
Top with the grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling
Serve immediately. Or allow to cool fully, then store in the fridge, or freeze for later

Notes

You can use another pasta shape for this recipe, penne or spirali would work well.
Pumpkin would also be a great alternative to the butternut squash.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition