I present to you *cue drumroll* .... butternut squash Mac and cheeez!
I’ve made this before without the cheese to make it totally dairy free since I am #lactoseintolerant but thought I would vamp it up with a little bit of that good good (AKA sharp cheddar).
Over the last few years I have been slowly incorporating more dairy into my diet in hopes of increasing my tolerance. Fun fact: if you are lactose intolerant like I am, consider trying this out… your body actually responds to an increase in dairy in your diet by increasing its lactase production (which is the enzyme that breaks down the lactose).
ANYWAYS - if you wanna make this
Season a a butternut squash with some olive oil, salt & pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes or until tender and easily stab-able with a fork (I recommend peeling the squash before roasting it, it was a little bit more tedious scooping out the flesh when I roasted it skin on)
Transfer the squash (minus the skin) to a blender or food processor and add 1 cup of milk (I used almond because that is what I had on hand, but feel free to use whatever ya have), 1 cup of veggie or chicken stock, 3 garlic cloves, salt & pepper to taste
Once it is all blended transfer some of this mixture to a saucepan on the stove and mix in a handful of your cheese of choice (I used sharp cheddar but really anything would be delicious. Sub for nutritional yeast if ya wanna keep it dairy free)
In a separate pot, cook your pasta according to the package, drain, and reserve a few tablespoons of pasta water aka liquid gold
Add the starchy pasta water to your cheesy sauce, and pour over your pasta
That's it, that's the recipe
*P.S - I had a TON of the pureed butternut squash mixture leftover so I froze it in muffin tins (you could also use an ice tray) and plan to use it in other recipes throughout the fall/winter season
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