Mac N Cheese Stuffed Squash Food

MAC 'N CHEESE STUFFED SQUASH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425ºF.
• Brush cut sides of squash halves with dressing; place, cut sides down, on parchment-covered rimmed baking sheet. Bake 25 min. or until tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare Dinners in large saucepan as directed on package. While Macaroni is cooking, crumble sausage into medium skillet; cook until done, stirring occasionally. Drain. Reserve 8 small sage leaves for garnish; chop remaining sage leaves.
• Scrape pulp from squash halves into large bowl, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Add Dinners, sausage, chopped sage and apples to squash; mix well. Spoon into squash shells; top with shredded cheese.
• Bake 10 min. or until filling is heated through and cheese is melted. Garnish with reserved sage leaves.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water then add the pasta and cook to al dente or, with a bite to it.
• While pasta cooks, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the thyme and grate the onion directly into the pot with a hand held grater or Microplane. Cook the grated onion in butter and oil 1 to 2 minutes, then add flour and cook together 1 to 2 more minutes. Whisk in stock, then combine with butternut squash until warmed through and smooth. Stir in cream or half-and-half and bring sauce to a bubble. Stir in cheeses in a figure 8 motion and season the completed sauce with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings.
• Drain cooked pasta well and combine with sauce. Serve alongside chicken sammies and top with thyme leaves picked from remaining sprigs (Boo would also have a little extra sprinkle of that cheese, please!)

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place butternut squash, cut-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Roast squash in the preheated oven until soft, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove squash flesh from skin and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk flour and mustard into melted butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk milk into flour mixture until the mixture has the texture of heavy cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir butternut squash, white Cheddar cheese, and Cheddar cheese into milk mixture until cheese is melted. Stir rotini into cheese mixture. Pour cheese mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with bread crumbs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bread crumbs are golden, about 10 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Place squash in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until tender., Meanwhile, place yogurt, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a blender. Drain squash and transfer to blender; cover and process until pureed. Return mixture to saucepan; heat through. Stir in cheeses until melted., Drain pasta; add to squash mixture. Toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs., Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & SAGE MACARONI CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss two-thirds of the butternut squash with the olive oil and seasoning, and roast for 20 mins until nearly tender (it will finish cooking later). Chop the remaining squash coarsely, put in a heatproof bowl with 100ml water and cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 8-10 mins until tender. Drain and mash.
• Fry the onion in a knob of butter until softened but not browned, about 5 mins. Stir in the chopped sage and cook for 1 min more, then add the remaining butter to melt. Stir in the flour and mustard powder, and cook for 1 min until it forms a paste. Gradually whisk in splashes of milk (you can add in bigger additions as you go) until you have a smooth sauce. Bubble, stirring constantly, for 3-5 mins until thickened. Take off the heat and whisk in the mashed squash, 200g of the cheddar and half the Parmesan. Season to taste.
• Cook the macaroni following pack instructions. Drain well, then stir into the sauce with the roasted squash. Tip into a baking dish and scatter with the remaining cheese and sage leaves. Can be made up to a day ahead at this point - cool and keep in the fridge. If freezing, don't add the whole sage leaves.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 again. Splash the sage leaves with oil and bake for 40 mins until bubbling and golden on top.