stove top butternut squash mac and cheese
Ya’ll. I have been craving mac and cheese for like two weeks now, and today is the day we do the mac dance.
I bought way too much butternut squash the other week when I decided to bake up a weekend pizza – which I will share probably next week – and was left scrambling to figure out what I wanted to do with it for ya’ll to enjoy before I relented to roasting whatever remained for random meals. My mom has been suggesting pasta for a long-ass time, and after the spoof of a Rays game on Tuesday night I decided: now is the time I quell my baseball-shaped sadness in the form of a bowl of noodles.
I don’t use butternut squash enough, even though I quite enjoy it. I think my main hitch is how annoying it can be to peel, halve, and slice, particularly when I want to get pretty process photos and not necessarily shortcut by buying pre-chopped bags.
Thankfully, this bowl of beautiful, cozy goodness does great with pre-cut squash. No slicing and dicing required.
Versatile, vegetarian, and voluptuous – apt descriptors of this Stove Top Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. Sure, a bit of a misnomer because you gotta roast up the squash first (unless you’re a lucky one with some already in your fridge that you need to use up) but the rest of the magic happens in a big ole pot on your burner.
What’s more perfect than this? Well, other than you, you wonderful human.
Cute Butt(ernut)
The squash itself is pretty unfussy. Like I said, it’s totally acceptable to buy a bag already cut up, or use leftovers in your fridge. If you’re the proud owner of Pre-Cooked Squash, you can obviously skip the roasting step following.
Toss your peeled squash cubes in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread on a baking sheet. Roast until soft, about 25 minutes. Cool until easily handled, then pop into a food processor and puree. I usually need to add a little water to get the blades moving more easily.
Boom. Easy butternut puree. Shit, if you for some reason have canned butternut squash puree, that is perfectly acceptable for this recipe, too. Lots of shortcuts to be done if you need.
Stir the Pot
The main shebang of the mac and cheese is super quick to make, once the squash part is done.
The crispy sage is optional, but I love to throw a couple leaves on my own servings, so I start here. Melt down a little butter in whatever big pot you plan to use for the mac, then throw in a few sage leaves for a couple minutes until they darken and glisten. Move them carefully to a plate with tongs.
Chuck in another slab of butter and stir your noodles around. I love elbows or “shellbows” (conchiglie, pip rigate, or lumache, as they’re called more formally) with any mac and cheese recipe. Use what you’ve got, though.
Pour in some water and bring to a boil. Cook your pasta until al dente; the timing varies depending on your choice noodle. Do not drain whatever water remains in the pot. It will help your form your sauce.
Finish up with lots of nice flavorings and shit to make this fucker creamy. Dijon mustard, garlic and onion powders, ground cinnamon, and cayenne pepper for the aromatics; then the squash puree, whole milk (you can use coconut milk or half and half if you wish), cheddar cheese, and gouda cheese. Taste for salt and pepper and add a smidge more as needed.
Serve a big bowl with your crispy sage, extra pepper, and some thyme leaves. Pair with your favorite red wine, some steamed broccoli, and maybe a grilled protein of some kind. I sometimes make tuna mac and stir in a can of skipjack or whatever I’ve got around.
FYI – you can switch up this recipe to make pumpkin mac if you only have a can of that on hand! Does take out the butternut squash component, but I won’t tell anyone.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Mac mac L’Oreal yep cos you’re worth it:
No-Boil Spinach Artichoke Mac n’ Cheese
One Pot Cheesy Baked Pizza Pasta
One Pot Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Pasta
stove top butternut squash mac and cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups butternut squash cubes
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 lb short cut pasta
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or canned full fat coconut milk)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup gouda cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
- Toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes until softened.
- Cool the squash until able to handle. Transfer to a food processor and whiz until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water as needed to soften the texture.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Toss in a second tablespoon of butter. Stir the pasta into the butter, then pour in 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Do not drain the water.
- Stir in the dijon mustard, garlic, onion, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, then add the remaining butter, butternut squash puree, milk, and cheeses. Toss until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Divide into bowls and top with the crispy sage, extra thyme, and fresh cracked black pepper.
