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You are here: Home / Healthy Recipes / Healthy Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese

October 31, 2017 22 Comments

Healthy Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese

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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!Healthy butternut squash mac 'n' cheese

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!

Healthy butternut squash mac 'n' cheeseI 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. Super creamy butternut squash mac 'n' cheese

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.An easy method to peel, chop, and roast a butternut quash! Easy side dish and DELICIOUS in butternut squash soup!

Promise me that if you love mac ‘n’ cheese, you’ll give this a try!Healthy butternut squash mac 'n' cheese

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!

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5 from 2 votes

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  • 1 Healthy Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese
    • 1.1 Ingredients
    • 1.2 Instructions
    • 1.3 Prep Squash
    • 1.4 Cook Pasta
    • 1.5 Make Sauce
    • 1.6 Video
    • 1.7 Nutrition

Healthy Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese

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!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 419kcal

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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Fiber: 4g

A Healthy Liv recipe

Recipe video by If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen

 

 

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Comments

  1. Sarah @ Bucket List Tummy says

    October 31, 2017 at 4:47 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      November 1, 2017 at 11:21 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Lea Liles says

        November 12, 2019 at 3:43 pm

        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!

        Reply
  2. Brian says

    November 4, 2017 at 4:34 pm

    Wow, this really looks extremely tasty <3 Thanks a lot for sharing us 🙂

    Reply
  3. Bonnie Parker says

    November 5, 2017 at 11:19 pm

    My daughter loves Butternut Squash. And a combination with Mac n Cheese… A big yes from her.

    Reply
  4. Nancy says

    September 4, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    This was delicious and easy to make!! My girls loved it

    Reply
  5. Kelsey says

    September 12, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    It’s delicious but I made too much!

    Can we freeze this?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      September 14, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      Hi Kelsey! YES, you can freeze it! So glad you enjoyed 😀

      Reply
  6. Allison says

    September 29, 2019 at 8:11 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      October 1, 2019 at 11:26 am

      So glad you enjoyed this mac ‘n’ cheese!

      Reply
  7. Lainie says

    November 3, 2019 at 3:57 am

    I’ve made this recipe twice now and I can’t get enough. The creaminess is unreal! Thanks for sharing this deliciousness!!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      November 3, 2019 at 3:13 pm

      I’m so glad you love this butternut squash mac ‘n’ cheese! It’s on my menu for this upcoming week!!

      Reply
  8. Peggy says

    March 8, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      March 14, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this mac ‘n’ cheese!!

      Reply
  9. Selina Miller says

    April 10, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    It looks delicious. I’m going to make this even though I’m not vegan.

    Reply
  10. Richard Fedder says

    May 1, 2020 at 4:39 pm

    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.

    Reply
  11. Thripura Chandran says

    July 2, 2020 at 6:49 am

    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.

    Reply
  12. Vicki says

    November 21, 2020 at 7:51 pm

    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!

    Reply
  13. Carmen says

    November 13, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      December 23, 2021 at 7:36 pm

      Oh yum! Sounds absolutely amazing!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 19 All-Time Best Mac And Cheese Recipes - Foods Guy says:
    July 23, 2021 at 1:33 pm

    […] 7. Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese […]

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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