The epitome of comfort food, mac and cheese is pretty significant. Although I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that.
Even though I rolled with the occasional box of Annie’s White Cheddar Shells back in college, boxed macaroni and cheese has never been my thing. If I was going to have mac, I was going to have the good stuff. Fresh out of the oven, covered in real cheese…yep. I could get with that.
I have a long history of making mac and cheese. Back in my far less healthy teenage days, my mom asked me to help her make a batch of mac and cheese for an upcoming church function. I borrowed a recipe from a family friend, put my own spin on it, and it was pretty delightful. No joke – at church everyone loved it, and from there on out it was requested at every family function/holiday/special Sunday dinner thereafter. The only issue…it was pretty horrible nutrition-wise
My 16 year old self definitely didn’t know/care much about nutrition. 3/4 cup of butter? Sure! 5 cups of cheese? Sounds good! Scary orange processed cheese-like product? You bet! Thankfully my now 25 year old self is not only more health-conscious and educated, but I’m also a much better cook. After some trial and error, I finally perfected a mac and cheese recipe that rivals my old version – but is much healthier.
I started by swapping the old school white pasta for whole grain (I like quinoa pasta, but whole wheat or brown rice will also work). Then, I cut the butter back. Way back. Having almost one whole cup of butter is completely excessive for one dish. Finally, instead of obscene amounts of real and fake cheese, I used a combo of quality sharp cheddar and butternut squash puree. This helped me cut way down on the fat and calories, eliminated the processed junk, and even sneak in a veggie without sacrificing texture or flavor.
So the next time you’re in the mood for the good stuff, give this a try! It can easily be made gluten free as well if that’s your thang.
- 1/2 Pound of Whole Grain Pasta (I used GF Quinoa pasta - Whole Wheat and Brown Rice pasta would also work)
- 1/2 Cup Lowfat Milk
- 3 Cups Chicken or Veggie Broth
- 2 Cups Butternut Squash Cubed*
- 1 1/2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Divided**
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Tapioca Flour (can also sub All-Purpose Flour)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Mustard
- Salt and Pepper to Taste (don't be shy)
- 1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring broth to a simmer and add butternut squash. Cook until tender (8-10 minutes).
- In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and begin cooking pasta. Cook for about 5 minutes and drain (but don't rinse!). Set aside.
- Once squash has finished cooking, transfer to blender or food processor reserving ~1/3 cup of broth. Puree until smooth adding small amounts of broth as needed.
- In the same pan you made the pasta in, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted add the flour and stir until a paste forms.
- Add the milk while stirring to prevent lumps. A creamy sauce will start to form.
- Add squash puree and 1 cup of cheese to the sauce, and stir until well combined and cheese is melted. Then add seasonings.
- Return pasta to the pan and stir until the noodles are well coated in sauce.
- Remove from heat, and transfer noodles and sauce to prepared pan.
- Top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and breadcrumbs if using.
- Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
- Let cool for a few minutes and serve warm.
- *Butternut squash can be a pain to cut, so feel free to use pre-cut. Frozen also works well, but only needs about 5 minutes to cook in broth.
- **I used sharp cheddar for the sauce, and topped with white cheddar. Feel free to mix any cheeses you like!
What are your favorite comfort foods?
What classics would you like to see made healthier?
xo,
Les
Wow this looks amazing… nothing better than pasta and cheese! Altho I am still having a little trouble with the word “healthy”..don’t really see how that’s healthy 😉
Thanks Claudia! Maybe not the epitome of health, but definitely healthier than many versions that have far more butter and processed cheese 🙂
Just made this for a Super Bowl party and everyone absolutely loved it! I’m not a huge butternut squash fan but I know it’s so chock full of antioxidants and good for you vitamins. You can barely taste the squash and no one realized it wasn’t just a traditional mac and cheese recipe or that it was made with a squash based sauce. It tastes so rich and creamy that this will for sure be my go to mac and cheese recipe!
Yay – this just made my day! So glad you loved it 🙂