Best 4 Butternut Mac N Cheese Recipes

BUTTERNUT MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the macaroni until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
• Carefully cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Drizzle half of the squash with olive oil and place it on a rimmed baking sheet cut-side up (reserve the other half of the squash in the fridge for another use). Roast, watching to make sure the surface doesn't get burned (it should have some brown areas, however), until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Scrape out the flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
• While the squash is roasting, add the onions and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a large, ovenproof skillet over low to medium-low heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they're deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove them to a plate.
• In the same skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle over the flour and whisk it to make a thin paste. Cook it for 2 minutes, then whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking gently, until slightly thick, a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. You'll probably want to add more salt!
• Turn the heat to low and stir in the mashed butternut squash. When it is warm, stir in the cheese. If the sauce is overly thick when the cheese is melted, add a splash of milk. Keep stirring until the sauce is nice and hot, then stir in the macaroni. Taste and add more salt if needed.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a pan and combine it with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the macaroni and bake (I do it straight in the skillet) until the crumbs are golden and the edges bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Squash:.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut squash in half, lengthwise and rub cut side with olive oil.
• Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast for 60 - 75 minutes or until completely cooked and soft.
• Scoop out flesh while still warm and break apart with a spoon.
• Timing-wise, finish the squash roughly the same time the pasta and the sauce is cooked so that it's still warm.
• NOTE: You can change the ratio of squash to macaroni if you want it to be more or less squashy-I think this ratio is ideal because is comes out like mac n' cheese but there is still a good amount of squash hiding in there --.
• Cook macaroni in salted water.
• Let drain well. Timing-wise, finish the pasta and the sauce about the same time.
• Sauce:.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter on MEDIUM heat until shimmery.
• Stir in the onion as it's prepped, then the nutmeg and white pepper, cook until onions soften.
• Stir in the flour and mix well.
• A tablespoon at a time, add the milk, incorporating each tablespoon well before adding another. (If you add it all at once, or without working in each time, there's risk of ending up with a lumpy sauce).
• Stirring often, let the sauce come almost to the boiling point, it will thicken slightly.
• Add the cheese and let melt, adjusting temperature so that the sauce won't boil. (It's not a disaster if it does, since it's going into the casserole, but it'll look curdled).
• COMBINE.
• In a large bowl, break the squash apart, mashing it really, with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the hot, drained pasta and combine well, distributing the squash throughout. Stir in the sauce and combine well.
• Transfer to a greased baking dish.
• If you like, sprinkle the top with pimento or paprika.
• If making ahead, let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate.
• BAKE.
• Return dish to room temperature.
• Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout.
• To add color to the top, place under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes, watching carefully so not to burn. When covered with foil, holds its temperature for a good 30 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place butternut squash, cut-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Roast squash in the preheated oven until soft, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove squash flesh from skin and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk flour and mustard into melted butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk milk into flour mixture until the mixture has the texture of heavy cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir butternut squash, white Cheddar cheese, and Cheddar cheese into milk mixture until cheese is melted. Stir rotini into cheese mixture. Pour cheese mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with bread crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bread crumbs are golden, about 10 minutes.

BUTTERNUT MAC-N-CHEESE

Steps:

• Roast the butternut squash. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place in roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and cook until soft all the way through, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool. When cooled, remove skin and place in food processor. Purée until smooth.
• Make cheese sauce. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour. Stir to make a roux and cook 3 minutes, stirring the entire time. Add 3 cups milk and stir until thickened. Add the rest of the milk and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the dish: Place cooked elbow macaroni in bowl. Pour half of the cheese sauce over and add puréed, roasted butternut squash. Fold together. If it seems too dry, add the rest of the cheese sauce. Place in an ovenproof dish and heat for 15 minutes at 325 degrees.