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This cheesy butternut squash pasta recipe is loaded with cozy fall squash and ooey, gooey cheese, making it a perfect meal to warm up to on crisp fall evenings. Even better, it can be ready in less than an hour!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy Alternative: My family loves any kind of mac and cheese. This recipe is the perfect healthier option while still providing the cheesy goodness we all love.
- Family Friendly: What kid doesn’t love mac and cheese? With this recipe, you will be able to sneak in some vegetables, and they will still gobble it up!
- Seasonal: I love using squash for all sorts of fun fall recipes. Cozying up to a bowl of butternut squash soup or diving into this hearty harvest bowl.
Ingredients Needed for Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta
With just a few simple ingredients, you will create a warm and cozy fall meal your whole family will love. For exact measurements, scroll to the bottom of the post, where you will find them in the recipe card.
- Elbow Macaroni: This pasta shape is great for holding all of the creamy, cheesy, butternut squash sauce, so every bite is flavorful and delicious.
- Butternut Squash: The star of the show! It provides a sweet, creamy flavor and texture that complements the other flavors in the dish.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides rich, creamy texture and warm flavor. It needs to be melted for this recipe.
- Whole Milk: Adds moisture and helps thin the sauce so it spreads evenly over the noodles.
- Half and Half: Gives the sauce a sweet, creamy texture and flavor.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: I love using sharp cheddar for this dish because it adds a bold, vibrant flavor that really goes well with the creamy butternut squash.
- Salt and Pepper: To Taste!
How to Make Butternut Squash Pasta
This recipe comes together quickly and easily! If you’re a busy mom like me, I recommend using store-bought cut-up butternut squash to save yourself even more time! Either way, your family is going to love this fun fall meal!
- Cook Pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package directions until it is al dente. Drain and set aside in a separate bowl.
- Prep Squash: While the pasta is cooking, peel and de-seed the squash and dice it into 1-inch cubes. Boil the squash in the same pot you cooked the pasta in until it is tender and easily mushed.
- Blend: Add the squash, melted butter, milk, and half and half to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Combine: Add the pasta back to the pot over medium heat, along with the squash puree and cheddar cheese, then stir. Salt and black pepper to taste.
- Simmer: Cook everything together, stirring continuously, until the cheese has fully melted and the sauce has thickened and cooked into the noodles a bit.
- Serve: Serve with additional cheese on top!
Recipe Tips and Variations
This recipe is so simple and foolproof, you can play around with it. You could try different kinds of pasta and cheese to get it to taste just the way you like! Here are some ideas to get you started
- Pasta Options: You can use any kind of pasta in place of the macaroni noodles. I like using one like elbows or shells because it holds the sauce well.
- Seasonings: I keep this recipe simple by seasoning it with salt and pepper, but you can season it to your liking. Other good additions are fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, paprika, oregano, or sage.
- Simplify Butternut Squash: Some grocery stores sell cubed squash seasonally in the deli area, which takes out the bulk of the work in this recipe if you can find it! You can also use frozen cubed butternut squash, just thaw before using.
- Peeling Butternut Squash: To make peeling your butternut squash easier, you can microwave it for 1-2 minutes. Just make sure to poke a few holes in it to allow steam to release.
Leftover Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
When fall weather hits, I am ready to put on my cozy sweaters and eat all of the warm seasonal squash recipes. Soups, vegetables, chicken, hearty salads, they are all so tasty and delicious! Here are some of my favorite butternut squash recipes!
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Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni
- 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅔ cup half and half
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook 12 ounces elbow macaroni according to the package directions until it is al dente. Drain and set aside in a separate bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, peel, de-seed, and dice into 1-inch cubes to get about 4 cups butternut squash,. Boil the squash in the same pot you cooked the pasta in until it is tender and easily mushed.
- Add the squash, melted ¼ cup melted unsalted butter, 1 cup whole milk, and ⅔ cup half and half to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the pasta back to the pot over medium heat along with the squash puree, 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, and Salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook everything together stirring continuously until the cheese has fully melted and the sauce has thickened and cooked into the noodles a bit.
- Serve with additional cheese on top!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! How many cups of purée does that make? I already have 2 cups puréed, so wondering if that’s enough. Thanks!
This was amazing! No one in my (squash hating) family knew it was butternut. Everyone loved this!
This was fantastic! We used one medium-small butternut squash and added peas. We would definitely make this again!
Love this recipe. We’re making it tonight for the third time. We add cut up chicken sausage for a little something extra.
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and my family loves it. My kids hate squash but actually request this dish. We usually add some smoked turkey sausage to make it a meal. Very good!
I Love this recipe! I roasted the squash and added a panko breadcrumb topping.
A fall favorite for sure.
Great with brown rice pasta.
Can this be made ahead of time and then warmed in the oven?
Yes, that should work great! Enjoy! XOXO
This tasted great! Unfortunately I was planning to make it ahead and warm it in the oven after we all got home from swimming, but the texture doesn’t it lend itself to that well – it’s definitely best when it’s freshly made. I did 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp onion powder since my family is used to onion and garlic in our mac and cheese but left everything else as is. It also made extra sauce, so I’ve saved some for another time 🙂 Thanks!
This recipe is amazing with Trader Joe’s cinnamon dusted cheese they sell in October. I love this dish so much!
Just made it for lunch for myself and my two teens kids…they love it!! I added with the sharp cheddar some Mexican cheese…so gooey and cheesy.
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so glad that everyone loved it! Way to go. XOXO
I am on a Low Fodmap diet from my doctor and this recipe is already low fodmap which was great and an easy way for me to get my veggies in. I subbed for gluten-free Brailla elbow noodles and used lactose-free milk. Also, I added some garlic infused olive oil to the butternut squash puree before putting it into the noodles. I added some more veggies to make it more of a complete meal with zucchini, green onion tops, and kale. Man is this dish delicious. I have really been missing some foods and was so happy to come across a recipe that I didn’t have to substitute much to make low fodmap.
That is SO great to hear! I am happy that it all worked out for you and you could make it your own. Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Made you squash with pasta this morning. It was delicious and hubb6 loved it, too!
YAY! That is great to hear! I am so glad that you both enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing and following along with me! XOXO
Hi! Do you think you could substitute pumpkin for the squash and still get a similar flavor?
That sounds delicious! I haven’t tried it with pumpkin but that sounds like a great substitution! Let me know what you think! XOXO
Any ideas a for making this without be cheese? My husband and son have an allergy.