This butternut squash mac and cheese is an absolute game-changer. Your typical creamy cheesy sauce but with the sweet, nutty autumnal flavour from the squash. There are also lots of added nutrients, as butternut squash is rich in fibre, vitamin c, potassium and magnesium. Winning!
The best part is that it’s really easy to make. You just simmer the squash and a few extras in vegetable stock (if you want to be extra decadent then you could totally use chicken stock) then blend before you stir in the cream and cheese. No roux making or heavy whisking of sauces which can easily go wrong.
This recipe will easily mix with a typical 500 gram pack of pasta if you’re feeding a crowd, but I like to portion it out and freeze single serving portions of sauce to keep to hand for comforting mac and cheese at any time. To prepare from frozen, just defrost in the fridge or microwave then transfer to a pot and heat through on the stove before mixing with your favourite pasta.
This recipe is vegetarian, but you can easily make it vegan with a few swaps – oil instead of butter, and vegan cheese and cream.
Looking for more comforting pasta dishes? Try my Lentil & Mushroom Bolognese or Cauliflower and Bacon Pasta with Parmesan Sauce.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash - peeled and cubed
- 1 white onion - diced
- 2-4 garlic cloves - depending on size and how much you love garlic!
- 500 ml (2.11 cups) vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp butter
- 100 grams (3.53 oz) grated cheddar cheese
- 150 ml (0.63 cups) double cream
- 1 tsp dried sage - can substitute thyme
- 500 grams (1 lb) your favourite pasta shapes
- salt & pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop your butternut squash into bite-sized chunks.
- In a soup pot or deep pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and add the diced onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, sage and squash and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour over the stock, stir well, and bring to the boil.
- Allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the squash is cooked and you can easily stick a fork through it.
- Meanwhile, bring a a pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta to packet instructions.
- Blend the squash mixture with an immersion blender, or carefully transfer to a food processor in batches and blend until smooth.
- Sir in the cream and cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, mix well.
- Serve garnished with grated cheese and some optional chopped parsley. I also like lots of cracked black pepper.
- Alternatively, you can portion out the sauce to mix with smaller amounts of pasta. I like to keep portions of sauce in my freezer so I have this delicious mac and cheese to hand at all times!
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