Last week, I had an epiphany.
It was 7:00 o’clock on a Tuesday night, I was pulling a casserole dish out of the oven, and my friend Lydia had come over for dinner.
7:00 o’clock Tuesday, exactly, was right when I had my epiphany:
Creamy Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese.
I’m not gonna lie, I was incredibly skeptical when I first started making it. Butternut squash (in my experience) can have an overbearing flavor when prepared incorrectly. Sure, it’s creamy, golden, and beautiful, but I can only eat so much of it without the help of a little butter.
But, as per my resolutions to figure out little ways to eat healthier, I had to try my favorite comfort food whether it meant vegetables or not.
What I love about this recipe is how incredibly simple it is to switch from the fat-laden world of two pounds of cheese (as with my past recipes here and here) to the more healthful world of half cheese, half squash. Simply bring the squash to a boil in milk and broth and let the steam do the tenderizing and work. Once tender, the squash can be pureed in a food processor (or blender) and whipped together with the cheese you will be using (no flour, butter, or oily roux here; just squash, cheese, and steam).
When we finally sat down to eat, I couldn’t get over the enhanced flavors in this dish. Normally, Macaroni and Cheese is a bit two dimensional—pasta + cheese. After a few bites, the palate fails to pick up on new flavors, and I know from plenty of experience that I tend to go on autopilot scarfing down the flour-y carbs.
But, in this version, the butternut squash brings life to other ingredients in the dish that may fail to be actualized when you’re tasting it. The macaroni only has a subtle “squash-like” flavor, and it’s noticeably lighter and heavenly, leaving less room for guilt when you clean your plate.
At one point, Lydia looked over at me, startled, and said, “I think I like this better than regular Macaroni and Cheese.”
I agreed emphatically.
Creamy Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese is not some health food fad version of a classic American dish. It’s something entirely different—it’s better…creamier…more flavorful. It’s something I can’t wait to make again. —Helana Brigman
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