Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Fall is by far my favorite season! One the many reasons for this is that it is harvest time for some amazing fruits and vegetables!  Being on this healthy cooking kick, I decided to take advantage of the fact that squash is in season.  Sure, it is typically used less in cooking than peppers, onions and broccoli, but much to my surprise, it can be used in so many ways.   I was tentative to try out a "mac and cheese" with butternut squash as the main component of the sauce, however, it ended up being a great meal for the family to enjoy as we watched the Bills crush the Dolphins on a Sunday afternoon!

Main Ingredients
2 cups elbow macaroni 

1 small onion

1 butternut squash

3/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Chicken broth

Directions: 

1. Cook the pasta.
2. Sauté the onion in a pan with butter. 

3.  Cook the butternut squash (cut into cubes) in boiling chicken broth until soft.  

4. In a blender, puree the cooked squash with the sautéed onions, milk, and 1/2 cup of chicken broth.

5. Mix the pureed sauce with the cooked pasta and 1 cup of shredded cheese until the cheese is melted.

Full directions are available on the "Pinch of Yum"website, where I found this unique recipe!
Note: I altered some parts of the recipe slightly to make it my own. 

After tasting this, I would have to say, this twist on a classic comfort food was my most successful yet! Considering this recipe only contained one cup of cheese, while most mac and cheese recipes call for about four, it was incredible how much it still tasted like the traditional dish!  If I were to make some suggestions on how to create some more flavor in this recipe, I would encourage the addition of spices.   I topped mine with crushed red pepper, black pepper and parmesan cheese!  I will definitely use this recipe again and would highly recommend that you try it out too!