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A quick and simple pasta dish that is cheesy and made with a seasonal ingredient– butternut squash! A healthier alternative that the family will love!
Hey everyone!! How was your Thanksgiving?! I hope it was filled with lots of great food and family/friends!
Today I’ve got a great pasta to make this weekend while you are (hopefully) relaxing and enjoying some leftovers or trying to keep things simple in the kitchen! This pasta dish is very simple and quick to make using a great seasonal ingredient — butternut squash!
To cut down on prep even more, you could buy a pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash. Then this dish would come together even quicker. Once that squash is all prepped, you just boil the squash until tender and then blend it with a few ingredients, toss it with cooked noodles, and voila: a healthy and delicious dinner in a flash!
Enjoy!!
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Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups macaroni noodles uncooked
- 3-4 cups cubed butternut squash peeled and de-seeded
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup 1% milk
- 1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Optional: fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the butter in a skillet over medium low heat.
- Meanwhile, peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Cut into large chunks.
- Boil the squash until completely tender and then drain. Place the squash in the blender with the butter, lots of salt, pepper, broth, paprika, and milk.
- Pulse until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles and add the cheese. Stir until melted.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with parsley if desired.
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.