Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

A fall twist on a classic dish. A perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving meal. The butternut squash adds a richness and slight nuttiness to the mac and cheese. Kids downed this one pretty quickly and gave two thumbs up!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 shallot, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or Colby Jack cheese

1 lb pasta, elbows or corkscrews

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread butternut squash on baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Once butternut squash is cooled, start rest of dish. Melt butter in medium stockpot (big enough to eventually hold all of the pasta) and heat over medium heat to melt butter. Add shallot and garlic. Cook 4-5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Add heavy cream and milk. Bring to a low simmer. Add cooked and cooled butternut squash. Use immersion blender to break down squash and smooth sauce as much as possible. Can also use a regular blender but be careful with hot liquids. Turn to low heat.

Heat a large stockpot 3/4 full of water over high heat. Generously salt water. Once boiling, add pasta. Cook 1 minute less than box directions.

Drain pasta, reserving 1-2 cups of pasta water.

Add 1 cup reserved pasta water to squash mixture. Blend again if necessary to smooth and slightly thin out. Add cooked pasta directly from pasta water to pan after straining. Add cheeses and use spatula to mix. Taste and add more season as needed. If too thick, add more pasta water or milk

.

Serve with extra Parmesan and black pepper on top.