Baked Butternut Squash-a-roni and Cheese

By now most of us are familiar with the popular cookbooks for kids that demonstrate just how easy it is to hide pureed veggies in your gullible child’s food. We’ll guess what? It’s not just the kids who need to eat their veggies! The whole family could benefit from some added veggie puree. This dish combines the fineness of classic baked mac-n-cheese with some major nutritional bang, thanks to the addition of pureed butternut squash and white soybeans. It’s considerably lower in saturated fat than your typical mac-n-cheese recipe plus it’s loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, delivering spoonful after spoonful of pure indulgence sans the guilt. Get your kids in on the act and let them do the pureeing (see step 3 below and photo above.)


Baked Butternut Squash-a-roni and Cheese

Serves: 8

3 slices sprouted whole grain bread, quartered
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons organic butter, divided
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 pound uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 package (12 ounces) frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 can (14.5 ounces) white soybeans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons Neufatchel cream cheese
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups organic 2% low-fat milk
2 cups organic low-fat shredded cheddar cheese


1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread pieces, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon melted butter in a food processor and pulse bread into coarse crumbs. Spread crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake crumbs for 18 minutes, or until golden and dry. Let crumbs cool, then toss with the parsley and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Season with salt to taste. Set aside. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees.

2.Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain the pasta and leave it in a colander. Set aside.

3.In a food processor, combine the thawed butternut squash, white soybeans and cream cheese. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

4.In a large heavy saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high. Stir in the garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika, cook about 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the butternut squash puree. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce is heated through. Gradually add the cheddar cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Continue stirring until cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth. Mix in the drained pasta. Season with the measured salt, plus more to taste.

5.Pour macaroni and sauce mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve warm.