Butternut Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe I found on someone else's blog. http://www.escapefromobesity.blogspot.com/ I have had it bookmarked to make since this summer but our little effort on our own blog finally got me to make it. It was actually pretty easy but you'll need two hours for this one because of baking the squash. Mostly her words, not mine.

1 real big butternut squash, cut in half. Rub the cut sides with a bit of olive oil and roast at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet for 60-75 minutes, until very soft when poked with a fork. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out all the flesh from one half and put it in a BIG bowl. Break it up into smallish, bite sized chunks. It's fine if some of it ends up mashed. Save the other half for a different recipe.

8 oz macaroni. Cook this according to package directions in salted water. While it is cooking, make the sauce. Drain the pasta and put it in the bowl with the squash. Fold it together with a spatula, gently, until well combined.

Sauce:

1.5 T. butter

1 small onion, chopped small

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. white pepper (black is fine, white is prettier)

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1.5 T. flour

1 c. skim milk

12 oz. cheddar cheese

Melt the butter on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the onion and saute til soft. Add nutmeg and white pepper. Add the flour, stir it up good, and then add the milk S-L-O-W-L-Y. I mean, add a little splash and stir it in, then a bit more, stirring each time, until it is all incorporated. Heat almost to the boiling point, stirring often. I used a whisk to keep it smooth. It will thicken a bit. Don't let it boil, or it might not stay smooth, but it will still taste fine. Take it off the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir until melted. Taste and add some salt if you like. (I personally do think this recipe needs a bit of salt, but you decide).Now, pour the sauce over the macaroni and squash. Stir it in gently with a spatula so it is well combined.

Put this mixture into a 9 by 13 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly.

My words: So I skipped the onion; it seemed weird to me that it would be in macaroni and cheese. I also didn't have dry mustard; so I skipped that and I used black pepper. The cheese I used is the reduced fat mild cheddar shredded cheese. Afterwards, I thought of the reduced fat velveeta out there. The points for this for a sixth which is one cup equaled 8.5 points. This also was with 14 oz of noodles not 8 like the recipe said so yours would be lower in points for sure.

I loved this and would give it a 5, it reminded me of traditional mac and cheese.

Curt gave it 3.5 stars and he didn't know about the squash because he would have never tried it! I did tell him after he gave me his rating and he would have never known!

Josie loved, loved, loved, loved this!