Recipe of Any-night-of-the-week 3 Cheese Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

3 Cheese Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. This guilt-free mac and cheese gives you all the comfort of the classic dish, but with an extra heaping of nutrients. Made with whole-wheat noodles, three cheeses (Gruyere, cheddar and Parmesan), shallots, and lots of good-for-your-body butternut squash… it's cozy, creamy AND nourishing! That butternut squash cheese sauce is endlessly rich and comforting. (And also a great way to use up some leftover butternut squash, be it raw, canned, or roasted!) If you happen to have some mac-and-cheese-loving kiddos in the house too, I am certain this recipe would also be a great way to.

I decided to make a lighter Butternut Squash Mac 'n Cheeze. But of course, I wasn't so sure if it would work. I figured there was a good chance I'd be eating bad mac 'n cheese for a week straight while Eric ate cereal for dinner.

Hey everyone, I hope you're having an amazing day today. Today, we're going to prepare a distinctive dish, 3 cheese butternut squash mac & cheese. One of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I am going to make it a little bit unique. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

3 Cheese Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is one of the most favored of recent trending meals in the world. It is enjoyed by millions daily. It's easy, it's fast, it tastes delicious. 3 Cheese Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese is something which I've loved my entire life. They are nice and they look wonderful.

This guilt-free mac and cheese gives you all the comfort of the classic dish, but with an extra heaping of nutrients. Made with whole-wheat noodles, three cheeses (Gruyere, cheddar and Parmesan), shallots, and lots of good-for-your-body butternut squash… it's cozy, creamy AND nourishing! That butternut squash cheese sauce is endlessly rich and comforting. (And also a great way to use up some leftover butternut squash, be it raw, canned, or roasted!) If you happen to have some mac-and-cheese-loving kiddos in the house too, I am certain this recipe would also be a great way to.

To get started with this particular recipe, we must first prepare a few components. You can have 3 cheese butternut squash mac & cheese using 18 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you can achieve that.

The ingredients needed to make 3 Cheese Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese:

1. {Make ready 1 of medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups).
2. {Take 2 tsp of olive oil.
3. {Take 2 1/2 cup of dry macaroni or other pasta of choice (I used Italian Cavatappi or "corkscrew pasta").
4. {Get of For the Sauce.
5. {Make ready 2 tbsp of butter.
6. {Take 1/4 cup of all purpose flour.
7. {Make ready 2 1/2 cup of milk.
8. {Get 1 tbsp of dijon mustard.
9. {Make ready 1/2 tsp of salt.
10. {Take 1/2 tsp of white pepper.
11. {Get 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional for a kick!).
12. {Prepare 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.
13. {Get 1/4 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg is fine).
14. {Take 1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves(or dried is fine).
15. {Prepare 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese, grated.
16. {Prepare 1 cup of Smoked Gouda, grated.
17. {Make ready 1/2 cup of Gruyere cheese, grated.
18. {Get 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs.

The key to creamy, butternut squash mac and cheese is to cook the squash directly in the milk. Cooking cubed squash in whole milk makes the cheese sauce prettier, eliminates extra dishes, and adds sweetness that perfectly balances the tang of both the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses added. Breaking news: Eating healthy does not have to mean living a life without mac and cheese! We came up with a rich and creamy macaroni and cheese casserole that tastes just as good as the original but won't wreck your healthy nutrition plan.

Instructions to make 3 Cheese Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese:

1. Preheat oven to 400 °..
2. Toss squash with olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through until squash is tender..
3. Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Usually about 5-7 minutes until al dente depending on the pasta you choose. Drain pasta and set aside..
4. In a large pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Whisk in the flour. Your flour mixture at this point will be thick, lumpy and dry..
5. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time. Add the dijon mustard and spices. Constantly stir until the flour mixture comes to a boil about 5-7 minutes and thickens..
6. Add in cheeses, squash and pasta. Stir just enough to coat and cheese is slightly melted..
7. Pour your mac & cheese into an oven proof baking dish. Top with panko breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes. If you want, you can just put the mac & cheese under the broiler too for about 2-3 minutes to toast the panko breadcrumbs on top and be done with it. I like to bake mine a little longer until all the cheeses are very melty through the whole dish..

The beauty of this recipe is that the squash adds that classic orange color and nutrients, but the kids just get the cheesy pasta flavor and texture that they love. Bake this skillet mac and cheese just enough so that the breadcrumbs are golden and the edges are nice and crispy. Turn the heat to low and stir in the mashed butternut squash. When it is warmed through, stir in the cheese. If the sauce is too thick when the cheese is melted, add a splash of milk.

So that's going to wrap this up with this exceptional food 3 cheese butternut squash mac & cheese recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I'm confident that you can make this at home. There is gonna be more interesting food in home recipes coming up. Don't forget to bookmark this page in your browser, and share it to your family, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!