Food Network's Ellie Krieger has a great recipe for a light "Squash mac & cheese" however, to me, it's more like a squash flavored cheesey pasta because nothing compare to a
full fat mac n cheese.
The flavors were perfect for a fall evening and it was pretty easy. We enjoyed it with a pumpkin ale on a quick fall/Halloweenish place setting. The recipe makes A LOT more than the two of us could eat for dinner, so we froze the rest. Update: it reheated nicely in the microwave after thawing at room temp.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
- 2 cups 1 percent lowfat milk
- 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 2 ounces Monterrey jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of water to a
boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large
saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the Cheddar, jack cheese,
ricotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the
macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the
baking dish.
Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then
broil for 3 minutes so the top is
crisp and nicely browned.
