Sneaky Squash Mac And Cheese Recipes

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.

SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Make macaroni and cheese dinner as directed on box--except stir in squash purée with the milk.

SNEAKY SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• While the macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk together, making a roux; cook for 1 minute. Add milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly until incorporated. Cook and whisk until sauce is thick and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add squash and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Drain pasta and add to sauce. Serve hot.

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 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.

SNEAKY MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Coat shallow 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well; reserve.
• Meanwhile, whisk dry milk powder into low-fat milk until smooth. In large pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until starting to brown, 2 minutes. Whisk in milk mixture until blended; cook, stirring, until thickened, 2 minutes. Stir in squash until smooth and blended. Stir in cheese, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
• Stir pasta into cheese sauce; transfer to baking dish. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter; stir in crackers and dried thyme. Sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 15 minutes. If desired, garnish with thyme sprigs.

SNEAKY (HEALTHY) MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• •Put cauliflower florets in microwave safe dish and cook covered for 10 minutes, or until tender.
• •In a large pot, bring pasta water to a boil.
• •Add pasta, and cook until al dente, I recommend 2 minutes less than the package says.
• •Drain and add back to the pot, off the heat.
• •In another, small pot, boil milk and pasta water (scoop it out of the boiling pasta pot) with the butternut squash.
• •Add the butternut squash and milk mix into a blender with the cheeses.
• •Add the cauliflower.
• •Blend until smooth.
• •Taste, you will probably need to add a decent amount of salt.
• •Add the sauce to the pasta and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
• •Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed (yes again - this is your last chance to get it perfect!).
• Melt butter and mix with bread crumbs.
• Sprinkle bread crumbs over mac n cheese.
• Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden.
• Can be made ahead and refridgerated. Just cook 30 minutes.
• •Eat up! (And don't tell!).