This healthy butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese is the world’s creamiest mac ‘n’ cheese that’s super easy to make all on your stovetop!
You may be thinking…”But why would I add butternut squash to my beloved mac ‘n’ cheese?! Vegetables have no place in mac ‘n’ cheese!!!”
I thought the same thing, until I actually tasted butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese for the first time and it made so much sense.
• The butternut squash makes the sauce SO creamy, even without any cream or butter involved
• It feels fancy and gourmet– like grown up mac ‘n’ cheese (although I bet you could serve this to kiddos and they probably wouldn’t notice a difference)
• The squash bulks up the sauce, adding a lot of extra volume without a lot of extra calories
• It’s a way to get in extra servings of veggies without even realizing
• Butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese is super fun and festive for fall!
I actually made this healthy butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese for the first time this summer and have been dying to share the recipe ever since! I wanted to get some fall recipes ready to go because I usually think of the perfect recipe to share for something like Thanksgiving two days in advance and then it’s too late.
And now that I’ve made this mac ‘n’ cheese at least six or seven more times, I could not recommend it more. It is SO CREAMY and super easy.
I’m not saying you should add butternut squash to ALL of your mac ‘n’ cheese for the rest of your life (I love this regular version, too!), but definitely should give this a try. It could change your life. And it’s easy to make!
When I first made this mac ‘n’ cheese, I actually made the sauce all one morning before work. I brought a pot of water to a boil while I got ready for the day, boiled the chopped butternut squash cubes while I packed my lunch, and then blended up the sauce while I made breakfast.
After work, all I had to do was cook the noodles, reheat the sauce and add cheese, and then I could dive headfirst into a big bowl of noodles. 
I always try to use the minimum amount of dishes necessary when I cook, but you do need to use a blender (or an immersion blender) to blend the butternut squash for the sauce. Fortunately, you can use the same pot to cook both the squash and the pasta to help cut down on dishes!
To make this even more quickly, you can buy packages of pre-chopped butternut squash, which cuts down 10 or 15 minutes of prep work. It’s pricy at some stores, but I always buy my pre-chopped butternut squash at Harris Teeter where it’s reasonably priced, about $4 for 2 pounds of pre-cut squash.
You can also buy cans of butternut squash puree (similar to canned pumpkin!), which I imagine would work, but haven’t yet tried.
It’s also pretty easy to peel and chop your own butternut squash if you have a sharp knife! Just cut off the top and bottom of the squash, then use a vegetable peeler to take off the skin.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and then slice into long vertical strips. Then dice those strips up into small squash cubes.
Promise me that if you love mac ‘n’ cheese, you’ll give this a try!
If you try out this healthy butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!
Healthy Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash, (1 small butternut squash, about 2 pounds)
- 16 ounces short pasta
- 2 1/2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika, optional
- 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (freshly shredded works best)
Instructions
Prep Squash
- Fill a medium pot 3/4 of the way with water and bring the water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, chop the top and bottom off the butternut squash, peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, and scrape the seeds out with a spoon. Chop squash into one-inch pieces and transfer into the pot of boiling water.
- Boil the squash, uncovered, until tender, about 12-14 minutes. Drain squash into a colander.
Cook Pasta
- For a one-pot meal, refill the pot you used to cook the squash with water and bring water to a boil to cook the pasta. Drain pasta once it's just short of al dente.
Make Sauce
- While the pasta is cooking, transfer the cooked squash to a blender and add milk, paprika, salt, and pepper. Blend until a smooth sauce forms.
- Add sauce back to the now-empty pasta pot and heat on medium heat until warm. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add noodles, stir, and serve immediately. If sauce becomes too thick, add another splash of milk.
- Store leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Video
Nutrition
A Healthy Liv recipe
Recipe video by If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen
I loveee mac and cheese, and this is a great way to sneak in extra veggies for sure! I’m impressed with your knife skills, I have so much trouble cutting butternut squashes!
I watched a great video tutorial one time about how to cut a butternut squash and it was so helpful. I’ve done it that way ever since!
That’s a good idea(how to cut a butternut squash tutorial)! I stab myself once trying to cut one! Btw..I’m trying this recipe this year on thanksgiving. Including all the healthy substitutes of course. Sounds great!
Wow, this really looks extremely tasty <3 Thanks a lot for sharing us 🙂
My daughter loves Butternut Squash. And a combination with Mac n Cheese… A big yes from her.
This was delicious and easy to make!! My girls loved it
It’s delicious but I made too much!
Can we freeze this?
Thank you!
Hi Kelsey! YES, you can freeze it! So glad you enjoyed 😀
I just made this and love it!
The only thing I did differently is that I put a little bit of chicken broth and dried onions in the water when boiling the squash. After it was done, I scooped it out and saved the water/broth and cooked the macaroni noodles in it.
Turned out great!
So glad you enjoyed this mac ‘n’ cheese!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and I can’t get enough. The creaminess is unreal! Thanks for sharing this deliciousness!!
I’m so glad you love this butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese! It’s on my menu for this upcoming week!!
I just made this. What a wonderful recipe! It’s creamy and tasty. Added some cooked broccoli for some greens. Also made it vegan by using follow your heart American “cheese” and some nutritional yeast for some protein and cheesy flavor. So very good. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making again.
So glad you enjoyed this mac ‘n’ cheese!!
It looks delicious. I’m going to make this even though I’m not vegan.
You write about peeling a butternut squash so glibly. I agree it’s easy to cut. The peeling is sooo frustrating. I have never been able to get to first base using the vegetable peeler. One shaped like the one you show in the picture. It doesn’t even penetrate the skin. So I have to use a very sharp knife and whittle away (carefully) like I’m whittling a stick.
Well this looks amazing! When ever I am cutting up squashes for different recipes I will do 1 of 3 things with the seeds. I might plant them. I might use them in a bread recipe. Or I might roast them like pumpkin seeds. One of them I think it spaghetti squash seeds when roasted taste like popcorn.
This is absolutely amazing Mac and cheese. I’m gluten free, my son is lactose free but we still found a way to make this and now he requests this all the time. Roasted the squash in the oven first, made with gluten free noodles, lactose free cheese and almond milk. This is a winner winner Mac and cheese dinner recipe! We have also added tuna and made it into a casserole. Thank you for this recipe!
Mac n cheese was very creamy. The only thing I did differently was I put in baking pan, added panko breadcrumbs for crunchy top and baked for a few minutes so cheese could melt more thoroughly.
Oh yum! Sounds absolutely amazing!
I’m excited to try, making it now! Taste is great, added a few more seasonings and cheeses. Thank you!
Love this recipe. I have a couple of squashes on the counter right now. Not butternut, but Kambocha and acorn. I think I will try this with the acorn squash. I will roast mine instead of boiling, for a bit of extra flavor and so as not to use os much water, loosing some nutrients. I use a large knife and a rubber mallet to cut into hard winter squash. Learned this a decade or more ago from Alton Brown. I have very little upper body strength, and the rubber hammer was a game changer! I was wondering why the use of almond milk, and then cow’s milk cheddar cheese? is it because you have a pI appreciate. your hard work. reference for almond? When I saw the beginning of the recipe, I was expecting nutritional yeast cheese with the almond milk. I will use regular milk. I am not much of a fan of milk alternatives, mostly because they have so many additives to make them palatable and fluid. But, wiht my changes, I will use your recipe as the basis for an attempt of my own. Thanks so much. I am finding that your recipes are imminently adaptable to my modifications. Don’t feel slighted, I have been modifying recipes all my life, even when learning how to cook from the 1960’s edition of Joy of cooking! I appreciate your hard work I was once challenged to do a food blog, and didn’t have the umps to make ago of it. You have done very well…
I baked mine – came out great.
This looks so good! What a great fall recipe to make for friends!
This looks so good! What a great way to get kids to try a new flavor!
This was so good! Added parseley on top to add color.