This healthy mac and cheese recipe has butternut squash hidden in it. The butternut squash completely gets camouflaged in the cheese sauce and your kids will have no idea they are eating veggies in their sauce!!
Make your Mac & Cheese Healthier
Add Butternut Squash
Of all the squashes, butternut squash has the most creamy and a very neutral, non-squashy taste to it. That’s why butternut squash soups are so popular.
Plus, it has the the yellowish color that makes it such a perfect camouflage for mac and cheese. I also added a little bit of turmeric to boost the yellow color.
The orange-yellow hue is also an indicator as to why butternut squash is chock full of Vitamin A, apart from being a great source of fiber.
Add Herbs
Herbs also contain a lot of protective polyphenols — plant compounds with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Studies show that polyphenols in herbs help combat such diseases as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and more.
Step by Step Pics
In a cooker, slight saute garlic, onion in butter until slightly soft. No need to brown them. Add butternut squash cubes, water and pressure cook them for 2 whistles.
Once the pressure cooker cools down, add herbs to the cooked vegetables. Transfer contents to a blender and puree well.
Add it back to the cooker or a pan and let the puree come to a boil. Add butter, cheese, turmeric powder, salt and pepper and mix.
Add cooked macaroni to sauce. Add milk if you want to make the sauce thinner.
Serve!!
Recipe
Healthy Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash
- 1/2 Butternut Squash (Peeled and chopped)
- 1 Onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves Garlic (slightly smashed)
- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheese
- 2 oz Butter
- Few Tbsp Milk (to thin out the sauce - optional)
- Pinch Turmeric (for color)
- Salt, Pepper (to Taste)
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 12 oz Macaroni (cooked according to packet instructions)
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In a cooker, slight saute garlic, onion in 1oz butter until slightly soft. No need to brown them. Add butternut squash cubes, 1 cup water and pressure cook them for 2 whistles.
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Once the pressure cooker cools down, add herbs to the cooked vegetables. Transfer contents to a blender and puree well.
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Add it back to the cooker or a saucepan and let the puree come to a boil. Add remaining butter, cheese, turmeric powder, salt and pepper and mix.
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Add cooked macaroni to sauce. Add few tablespoons of milk if you want to make the sauce thinner. Serve!!
You could use an Italian Herb mix if you enjoy its taste. Most of the herb mixes I have tasted have dried rosemary in them. That herb has needle like sharpness that I don't like. I prefer buying the individual herbs and mixing them. But, adopt whatever makes sense for you - your best combination of taste + ease.
Conclusion
This healthy mac and cheese recipe has a nourishing and filling aspect to it. I also feel full with lesser portions.
I have made this recipe before for my kids and they loved it. On the day I was photo-shooting this recipe, my daughter’s friend came over for a play date, he loved it and asked for a refill as well. 6 year olds are brutally honest and having them love this dish was especially validating for me.
I was inspired to do this dish from veggieinspired.com. She has a vegan version that uses cashews. I am not a fan of cashew, and I do like the protein aspect of cheese for kids, but if you want to go full vegan to help the planet, then more power to you and do try her delicious version.
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