Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Yes, I realize this has become the cranberry and squash blog lately. I promise more variety soon. But there were two butternut squashes in my CSA box last week and this recipe looked really good.

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart. As far as macaroni and cheese goes, this one is fairly light - there's no butter involved and it uses skim milk. The squash flavor is subtle, but it gives it a nice, creamy sweet taste. I didn't have the right pan, so mine was a little dry, though still very good. If you don't have a deep 9 inch square pan or some other medium size casserole dish, I'd recommend keeping the foil on top longer to keep the moisture in, using a little less pasta, or making more of the sauce.

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) , peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cup homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock, skimmed of fat
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce)
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Olive-oil cooking spray
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine squash, stock, and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles; cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.

I didn't have any bread crumbs, so I just sprinkled the Parmesan and a little bit more cheddar on top.

Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.