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Butternut squash macaroni and cheese works a little extra something special into everyone’s favorite comfort food! Roasted squash adds a touch of sweetness and notes of caramelization to this easy one-pot pasta recipe.
Once you reach adulthood, the allure of basic macaroni and cheese starts losing its grip on you. This butternut squash macaroni and cheese is a fancy mac that will please everyone in the house – kids and adults alike.
But this isn’t just a win-win dinner. It’s a win-win-win dinner because it’s also a one-pot pasta recipe. That means you don’t have to cook the pasta separately—the sauce and pasta cook together in the same pan. Three cheers for one less pot to wash!
Ingredient Notes
- Butternut squash cubes – You can cut your own squash or take a shortcut and buy pre-cut squash from the produce or freezer section.
- Pasta – Shell or elbow noodles are fantastic for holding onto the cheesy sauce, but you can really use any pasta you like or have on hand. (Okay, maybe not spaghetti.)
- Evaporated milk – Not condensed milk! Evaporated milk is unsweetened. Condensed milk is mainly used for desserts.
- Cheese – I like to use a blend of extra-sharp cheddar and mozzarella. I’ve found it works well to use a blend of cheeses—one that brings the flavor and one that’s a good melter. (Monterey Jack is another that melts fabulously.)
- Parmesan – Freshly grated melts into the sauce better than the bottles of grated Parm from the pasta aisle.
How to Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Toss the butternut squash with the olive oil on a sheet pan. Roast in the oven or an air fryer until the squash is tender and beginning to caramelize.
Place the squash in a mixing bowl and mash it with a potato masher or pastry cutter.
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the pasta, salt, and butter.
Reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in the evaporated milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, cheeses, and butternut squash puree, then serve. Yup, that’s it. You’re welcome!
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Cut the butternut squash into evenly-sized pieces. This ensures that they all finish roasting at the same time. If the squash isn’t tender, it won’t mash well.
- Don’t overcook the squash. Normally, I love when roasted butternut squash has a nice layer of browning on the bottom, but when you mash the squash, the browned bottoms won’t break apart and incorporate with the rest of the mashed squash, so they’ll leave you with a lumpy sauce.
- For a smoother butternut squash puree, blend the roasted squash with a bit of water using an immersion blender or a food processor. (This is also a good solution if you do overcook the squash.)
- To jazz up this recipe, you can fold in finely minced sage leaves just before serving. Or, fry whole sage leaves in butter to make them crispy!
- Use any leftovers to make mac and cheese egg rolls.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Toss butternut squash cubes with olive oil.
16 oz butternut squash cubes, 1 tsp olive oil
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Roast in an oven at 435˚F for 23-28 minutes, stirring halfway, or in an air fryer at 380˚F for 18-21 minutes, shaking halfway through.
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Transfer roasted squash to a mixing bowl and mash using a potato masher or pastry cutter. If you prefer it to be perfectly smooth, you can blend with a few splashes of water and an immersion blender, or in a food processor.
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In a large saucepan, bring 4 1/4 cups of water to a boil.
4 1/4 cups water
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Add pasta, salt, and butter to the saucepan. Stir to combine.
1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 lb shell or elbow noodles
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Reduce the stove temp to medium-high, and occasionally stir the mixture, until almost all of the water has been absorbed by the pasta (~8 minutes).
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Add the evaporated milk, (optional) dry mustard, (optional) nutmeg, cheese, and butternut squash puree, and stir gently until all the cheese has melted.
12 oz evaporated milk, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 3 cups cheese, shredded, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are NOT the same thing. Only evaporated milk will work in this recipe.
Serving: 1cupCalories: 389kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 16gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 359mgPotassium: 295mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 809IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 350mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
