Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese at it’s finest! So creamy, so rich + so amazing yet it’s so much healthier than traditional mac and cheese!
Holy moly of mac and cheeses.
This is seriously one to make throughout the entire year. And you know what? You can actually make this 365 days out of the year because this recipe uses canned butternut squash puree!
Did you guys know this even existed? I had no idea they had these convenient cans at the grocery store – I’d always puree butternut squash myself, almost losing a finger or hand in the process of cutting up those difficult squashes.
Oh and here’s another fun bonus for you guys. You can swap out the butternut squash for sweet potato or pumpkin puree so you can have the trifecta of mac and cheeses this season.
So again. I say, holy moly of mac and cheeses.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 6 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped sage
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 15-ounce can butternut squash puree*
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 10 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 2 1/2 cups
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in flour and sage until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in half and half, milk, butternut squash and Dijon. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in pasta and cheese until melted, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and chives, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Can you please provide an instant pot version?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I made it and ate too fast for a picture. Sorry .
Is there a calorie guestimation for this bad boy? In my fitness pal I just put 800, because that seemed like two servings to me?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”). Hope that helps, Kelly!
Nice recipe, but I ended up with a lot of sauce. I think if I used the whole box, 16oz, of shells, that would work fine. Or 8oz shells and a similar amount of cooked broccoli.
The sage is very subtle, I might play with increasing it a bit.
The chopped bacon is important.
I cannot agree more with you that this recipes is much more heathier than the original one. Honestly, I’m kinda bored of eating a bowl full of only mac and cheese. But adding bacon and butternut truly brings the dish to a higher level! YummY
– Natalie
Thanks, Natalie!
About how large is one serving? A cup?
Hi Corrie! You would have to divide the full amount by 6 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
I love butternut squash, this is my dream mac and cheese!
Can I sprinkle some cheese over the top and bake it?
If yes, what oven temperature should I use
and for how long should I bake it for? Thx!!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
About how much puree would that be? About 1.75 cups I am guessing? I roasted 2 large butternut squash this weekend just waiting to make yummy recipes like this. I have a ton of it!
Yes! 1 can is just shy of 2 cups. 🙂
Could we use half butternut squash and half pumpkin puree?
Absolutely!
I will try this yummy sounding recipe but want to swap out sage for something else. I just don’t care for sage at all. Any suggestions? Dill? Thyme? Basil?
Yes to all! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Can I substitute a milk alternative for the 1 cup of whole milk?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I never have dairy in the house and always use soy milk as an alternative. Depending on the brand, ( I like Silk) it can be very creamy. Makes nice creamy soups too!