Hide Yo’ Squash Mac & Cheese

Dietary: Vegetarian (Can be made vegan - see notes below)

Feeds 4 adults as an entree, 6-8 as a side

Ingredients

• 4 cups butternut squash (or pumpkin or acorn squash) peeled and cut into small cubes

  • Other optional substitutes: 4 cups of coined carrots or 16 oz of canned pumpkin

• Olive oil

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or honey or sugar or maple syrup)

• Salt and pepper

• 1 pound of pasta

  • I prefer fusilli or another swirly pasta, but you can use good ole’ spaghetti in a pinch

• 1/4 cup flour

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 3.5 cups whole milk (or a combination of half-and-half and 2% milk, or heavy cream and non-fat milk — the more fat you can add the creamier and better!)

• 4 cups shredded cheese of various types

  • I recommend using 2-cups of medium-soft cheese like a fontina or Havarti and 2-cups of extra sharp cheese. I typically use 2-4 different kinds of cheese in the mix

• 1/2 teaspoon mustard (or mustard powder)

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (bring the spice by doubling this!)

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I prefer smoked paprika)

VEGAN OPTION: Hi there! Are you lactose intolerant or allergic to milk? You can customize this recipe by using plain (no flavor) non-dairy milk, dairy-free (but high-fat) margarine, and Daiya brand cheese. You may need extra milk to balance out your roux but give it a shot!

Directions

1. Prepare the squash. For those using pre-cubbed butternut squash, place it on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375F or until its really soft. You can also roast an entire squash by cutting it in half, de-seeding it, and placing it “inside” down on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 375F until the squash is soft and the skin begins to bubble (about 25-30 minutes). Remove from the oven and let it sit until cool to the touch. Gently pull off the skin or scrape the “meat” off the skin.

2. Puree your squash in a blender or food processor. In a pinch, use a fork to mash it until it forms a smooth consistency. Your final pureed squash should be about 2 cups.

   • Time Saving Tip - Bake and puree your squash in advance. For example, you could bake the squash the night before while you’re making or eating dinner.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al-dente —  do not over cook the pasta! You want it to hold its shape when adding it to the sauce!

4. Make the roux - Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a deep pan or pot (I use a cast iron pan). Be careful to not let the butter brown. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble for 1 minute. You do not want this to burn or brown too much so stir it regularly. Gradually whisk in the milk and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently until the sauce has thickened. If it’s not thickening, turn the heat up and keep stirring. Once this roux begins to stick to your whisk and the side of the pan (about the consistency of ranch dressing), remove it from the heat.

5. Get cheesy! Stir in all of the cheese, sugar, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Once all of the cheese is incorporated, add the butternut squash.

6. Carefully stir in the pasta. You can return your stove to medium-low heat to warm everything up if needed before serving. Enjoy!!

7. Bonus: Add 1-2 of these options to up your mac & cheese game:

   • Jalapeños - canned or fresh lightly sautéed

   • Kale, chopped - fresh or frozen

   • Broccoli florets or halved brussels sprouts charred from an oven broil

   • A can of green peas

   • A can of diced stewed tomatoes

   • Grilled sausage, coined

The Story

How does one begin a story about mac and cheese? How far in history dare I venture?

We could go back 20 years when I would anxiously look forward to my parents’ date night because we got to make boxed mac and cheese with the babysitter. I remember crying if I wasn’t allowed to do all the stirring. Later, when I became a babysitter myself, I claimed the dish as my specialty—aways stirring in extra milk and extra butter.

As I grew more interested in cooking in my late teens, I stumbled upon a mac and cheese bake that included butternut squash. I started making the dish occasionally, tweaking and adjusting what would eventually become this recipe. In fact, I made over 20 baking dishes of this recipe for my wedding—big mac & cheese gal over here.

There are so many things I love about this recipe. It creates a balanced meal (protein, fat, veggie, grain) and as the title suggests, it truly hides the squash! My step-dad absolutely loathes squash, including pumpkin and even sweet potato. Even he’s been known to come back for seconds on this recipe, which is especially shocking since he isn't a noodle fan (cannot relate!).

If you have kids or family members that you’re worried aren’t getting enough veggies—especially those vitamin A packed veggies—you should test the waters with this one! This recipe also works with carrots. We stir carrot puree into our scratch-made mac and cheese at our schools and not a single kiddo has figured it out.

Speaking of Vitamin A

If you’re interested in some micronutrient trivia, continue reading!

Vitamin A holds up well with heat, which makes it an ideal nutrient for a hot dish! One of my nutrition professors in undergrad told us that canned carrots are one of the most nutrient-dense budget foods—they’re cheaper than fresh carrots but have just as much vitamin A! Haven’t fact-checked that, but feeling pretty confident about loading up on vitamin A in my mac & cheese.

Without regular vitamin A intake, you would not be able to see at night. Actually, you would eventually become permanently blind. The gut-wrenching thing? This is actually a huge issue in developing countries, specifically ones that heavily rely on rice. But here’s something incredible: High doses of vitamin A have resulted in biblical-like miracles of sight returning to the blind (those whose blindness were a result of the deficiency).

All said Vitamin A is good for more than your eyes! Notably, it’s essential for the health of epithelial cells. I like to refer to these cells as “worldly cells” because the majority of this cell type interacts with the outside world—your skin, your respiratory tract, and your GI tract are examples of epithelial cells.

Everyone loves something that is “good for gut health” or “promotes healthy skin!” So, there ya go, mac & cheese.