This is a delicious flavorful mac & cheese, inspired by the glutenous one at Trader Joe's. You can also make this with acorn squash or similar type fall squash that can be baked. You could even use a pie pumpkin!  I give a range of amount of squash to be used, and you can adjust it based on your personal preference, though I always prefer more squash. Enjoy! 

With the number of times I've eaten this, you'd think I'd have managed to take a better photo, but nope. ;) 

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

To make the butternut squash puree:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  

Slice in half: 

1 butternut squash (or similar squash, like acorn squash) *I don't bother removing the seeds. These can be quickly and easily scooped out after baking.

Brush with some olive oil OR put a bit on your foil to spread around. 

Place the squash halves facedown on your foil lined sheet.  Bake at 375 F for about 45 - 60 minutes (depends on the size of your squash and oven), until your squash is softened, and can squish a bit when you press into it.  Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack.  Once cool enough to handle, you can scoop and discard the seeds. Use a spoon to scoop out your butternut squash - it should scoop out nice and smooth like a puree. 

If you want to prep your squash puree in advanced, let cool most of the way, then scoop out the seeds to discard.  Scoop the cooked flesh into a container to store in the refrigerator. I find it lasts several days in the refrigerator. You can also place cooked squash into freezer ziplocs. I make sure to measure and note the amount on the bag before freezing. 

To make the pasta & butternut squash cheese sauce:

I make the noodles and sauce simultaneously.

Noodles:

Cook GF pasta noodles of your choice in salted water, rinse and set aside.  Make sure to taste the noodles before draining to make sure it's cooked enough. I find most GF noodles require an extra 2-3 minutes of boiling.

Sauce:

In a large pot, combine over medium heat:

1/4 cup butter

1 3/4 cup milk

1 tsp mustard (from the squeeze bottle, not dried powder)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 - 1/4 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp freeze dried thyme OR 1/8 - 1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Add, bring to a simmer, cooking for ~10 minutes: 

1 - 2 cups squash puree (I like more squash, but if you prefer a lighter squash flavor, you can use less. If you use less squash, make sure to thicken the sauce, as described next.)

Squash sauce, getting ready to thicken a bit and add cheese.

Optional to thicken the sauce a bit: 

Mix together in a small bowl: 

1/4 cup cold milk

1 Tbsp cornstarch

Stir the cornstarch mixer into the sauce, stirring constantly, until mixture returns to a simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Remove the sauce from heat and add: 

3/4 cup gouda, grated

3/4 cup medium or old cheddar, grated

1/3 cup parmesan regianno, grated

Once your sauce is ready, stir in your noodles and serve!!! Enjoy! 

Sauce is thickened and ready to mix in the cheese!

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Butternut Squash, Garlic & Shallot Risotto

Fall is the perfect time of year for butternut squash, garlic & shallot risotto.  Often, I whip it this type of squash up into one of our favorite soups: butternut squash soup.  But it's nice to have an all-in-one meal, too, such as the one here!  Add in some delicious seasonal garlic and shallots with your squash and you have a tasty, rich meal.  I recommend dicing the squash into small bite size pieces, so it cooks quickly, but doesn't end up mushy by the time the risotto rice has cooked.  I also prefer to slice the garlic and shallots, so you get flavorful bites throughout.   Enjoy!

Delicious Butternut Squash, Garlic & Shallot Risotto, ready to eat! 

Butternut Squash, Garlic & Shallot Risotto

In a large frying pan, cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 shallots, sliced
5 garlic cloves, sliced

Add an cook 5-6 minutes:
1/2 butternut squash, peeled & diced into small pieces

Move vegetables to the edges of the pan, add and cook 1 minute in the center of the pan:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio risotto rice

Add the spices and the liquid slowly over 15-20 minutes of cooking, to allow the liquid time to be absorbed as it cooks, stirring occasionally, but not allowing the rice to stick to the bottom of the pan.
3 cups chicken broth OR 3 cups water + 3 tsp Asian Mushroom Seasoning OR GF chicken bouillon/paste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch crushed rosemary
salt & pepper (start with 1/4-1/2 tsp of each and adjust at the end, if necessary)

Once all liquid has been absorbed, remove from heat and add:
1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan romano or similar cheese.

Salt & Pepper, to taste.  Serve and enjoy!  

Butternut Squash Soup

Ah, we do love a good butternut squash soup. And this is good! And easy!  Something important with kids around.  This soup is great on its own, but you could also serve it as an appetizer, or with toasted gluten-free bread or crackers.  Believe it or not, both my kids have enjoyed this soup from the time they were very small.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

Melt in large saucepan:

2 Tbsp. butter

Cook in butter until onion softens:

1 onion, chopped

Stir in & sautee 5 minutes:

1 med-large butternut squash, chopped coarsely

(easiest to peel outside skin off w/ a veggie peeler, then chop, removing seeds)

3 carrots, peeled & chopped coarsely (OR 2 carrots + 1 parsnip)

Stir in:

6 cups chicken stock (can be made w/ bouillon cubes)

¼ - ½ tsp rosemary

¼ - ½ tsp nutmeg

¼ - ½ tsp salt (do not add extra salt if your chicken stock has salt)

¼ - ½ tsp pepper

Bring to a boiled while uncovered.  Simmer, still uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes until squash is tender.

Puree soup before serving – if you don’t have a stick blender, you can just use a blender.  You can put blended soup back in the pot to reheat slightly and to adjust salt/pepper if needed.

Nice served w/ a dollop of cream in the middle of bowl.