Spicy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Palisade Salsa
A spicy take on a butternut squash mac and cheese recipe, inspired by Colorado western slope cuisine. The perfect dinner to warm you on chilly fall nights!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the Roasted Squash
- 1 2-3 lb butternut squash (or 4 cups frozen butternut squash)
- 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For the Mac and Cheese
- 1 lb macaroni or other pasta shells
- 6 strips bacon (or other meat if you prefer)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk (use whatever kind you prefer)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 3 cups white cheddar (or other cheese of liking)
- 1/2 cup Anita's Fire Roasted Salsa (or other salsa of liking)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (if you prefer a crunchy topping)
Instructions
Roasting the Squash
- Preheat oven to 400°. Cut squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. You can either discard or roast the seeds
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place squash halves facing up on the baking sheet
- Brush on olive oil and season with salt and pepper
- Roast for 20 - 30 minutes, or until fork tender
- Remove from oven and cool
- Once cooled, remove outer rind with either a vegetable peeler or very sharp knife. Once rind is removed, cut squash into 1 inch cubes
- Transfer squash to a blender or food processor, along with the 1 cup of stock. Puree until smooth (you should have about 2 and 1/2 cups of pureed squash). Set aside puree.
For the Mac and Cheese
- In a large pot, boil 1 pound of macaroni or other pasta until al dente. Drain and run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process (the pasta will cook more when we add it to the oven to broil). Set aside
- Set oven to "broil". Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Set aside
- Take your 6 strips of bacon and chop into bite sized pieces. In a large pot, add the bacon and cook until crispy
- Remove bacon pieces and set aside to drain on a plate with a paper towel. Reserve bacon grease in the pot. Add 2 tbsp of flour to the pot and whisk until light tan (see alternative instructions in "Notes" section if you are not using bacon)
- Add in milk, salt, and pepper and whisk until thick enough to coat the whisk (about 4 minutes)
- Add the pureed squash and cream cheese to the pot. Stir for about 2 minutes until all ingredients are combined. Add in 2 cups of the white cheddar. Stir until melted.
- To your pot, add in the pasta and 1/2 cup of salsa. Stir until well combined.
- Transfer mac and cheese to a 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle top with 1 cup of remaining white cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs if desired.
- Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve alongside a nice, green salad for a well balanced meal!
Notes
- For Bacon-less Mac and Cheese: You will need to add 2 tbsp of butter to a large pan and melt over medium heat. Add in 2 tbsp of flour and whisk until light tan. Proceed with remainder of recipe