Mac and Cheese? Not so fast, my friend...

• If I was granted one last meal before I parted this earth, I'm 99.9% sure I would have macaroni and cheese.  And not that blue box powder stuff....REAL mac and cheese with REAL cheese and noodles....from scratch. As a good catholic girl (at least one that still doesn't eat meat on Fridays during Lent), I will make a big pan of homemade mac and cheese.  Eating as a full meal is a lenten treat to help me forget I can't have chicken or steak on Fridays for eight weeks, but the fat and cheese and all things that make it the king of comfort foods makes me sadly keep it out of my diet on a regular basis.

  I have always loved butternut squash, which has its own comfort quality about it.  It's a sign of fall - crisp air, walking outside in a light sweater, leaves morphing into beautiful hues of reds and yellows.  I always jump at the chance to have butternut squash at a restaurant, but usually don't cook with it.  Fortunately, my friendly produce delivery service forces my hand, and now to find something for butternut squash....
  
  
  So when I stumbled upon a lighter version of mac and cheese substituting butternut squash for some of the cheese, I was immediately intrigued.  I did opt for a lower-calorie recipe, as I wanted to pare down the recipe as much as I could.  Looking at this picture, could you tell this isn't full-on homemade mac and cheese??
  
  
  
  
  
  The squash once mashed down and combined with the cheese gives that cheesy consistency, as well as acts as a binding agent.  Yes, it tastes like butternut squash, but it gives the illusion of that warm comfort yummy-in-your-belly while sneaking in some veggies and fiber.  I used high fiber pasta to even get a little more fiber in the recipe, which does help fill you up faster so you only eat a cup, instead of the entire pan.

  Macaroni & Cheese with Butternut Squash

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• 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 (vegetarian option - swap for veggie broth)
• 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 (I use Barilla Plus to get that extra punch of fiber)
• 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1 ounce)
• 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs (I omitted this, as to reduce carbohydrates/not a fan of crumb tops)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Olive-oil, cooking spray
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.