Chefs Binge · American · Serves 4 servings

Roasted Squash Mac and Cheese

Roasted butternut folded into a proper roux-based cheese sauce, baked, and finished with panko and pumpkin seeds toasted in butter. The squash colours the sauce and sweetens it without taking it over.

Prep

40 min

Cook

30 min

Total

1 hr 10 min

Serves

4 servings

Per serving

600 kcal

Ingredients

½ Butternut squash - skin on, seeds removed, cut into four pieces

250 g Macaroni pasta - cooked as per packet instructions

50 g Butter

50 g Plain flour

500 ml Milk

200 g Mature cheddar cheese - finely grated

100 ml Single cream

1 tsp Sweet mustard

1 tsp Lemon juice

1 pinch Nutmeg

1 tsp Salt - You can adjust at the end to your preference

½ tsp Black pepper

2 tbsp Vegetable oil - For roasting the squash

For the crunchy topping

2 tbsp Butter

3 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp Pumpkin seeds

Equipment

Small baking dishes · Whisk · Food processor · Roasting Tray · Small Saucepan · Baking Parchment

Method

Preheat the Oven. Preheat your oven to 240°C (465°F).

Roast the Squash. Rub the squash pieces with vegetable oil. Place them skin side down on a parchment-lined tray, spread out rather than touching, and roast for about 20 minutes, until a knife goes through the thickest part easily and the cut edges have browned.

Make the Bechamel Sauce. In a small saucepan, melt 50 g of butter. Add 50 g of plain flour and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring to form a smooth roux. Keep it pale. Gradually whisk in 500 ml of milk, a little at a time, letting each addition come together before the next goes in.

Combine with Cheese. Take the pan off the heat, then stir in 100 g of the finely grated cheddar until it melts. Mix in the cream, lemon juice, nutmeg, black pepper, and salt if needed. Stir as little as you can once the cheese is in: heat and stirring are what turn a cheese sauce grainy. Set aside.

Blend the Squash. Once the squash is baked, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Separate the flesh from the skin while it is still warm and blend it into a smooth puree (add a tbsp of water if needed).

Assemble the Dish. Mix about 120 to 160 g of the squash puree into the bechamel sauce. Combine with the cooked macaroni and transfer to a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inch) baking dish, or a few smaller ones. Keep the sauce looser than looks right, because the pasta keeps drinking it in the oven. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Prepare the Topping. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add the breadcrumbs and pumpkin seeds, and toast until golden, stirring continuously.

Serve and Enjoy. Sprinkle the crunchy topping over the baked mac and cheese just before it goes to the table, so it stays crisp. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme.

Chef’s notes

Take the pan off the heat before the cheese goes in, grate it finely, and stir as little as you can afterwards. Cheese held above its melting point clumps and pushes its fat out, which is the grainy sauce.

The teaspoon of lemon juice is not a garnish. The acid keeps the cheese proteins from binding together, the same way wine does in a fondue. If the sauce does tighten, another squeeze will usually bring it back.

Keep the sauce looser than looks right when you assemble it. The pasta goes on drinking liquid in the oven.

Toast the topping separately and add it at the table. Scattered on raw before baking it softens in the steam.

Leftover puree keeps four days in the fridge and three months frozen. More than two thirds of a cup in the sauce and it starts tasting sweet rather than cheesy.

Keeping it: three days in the fridge, three months frozen. Reheat covered with a splash of milk, and make the topping fresh.

Per serving Calories 600 kcal · Protein 25 g · Carbs 60 g · Fat 25 g · Saturates 15 g · Fibre 5 g · Sugar 8 g · Sodium 500 mg

chefsbinge.com/roasted-squash-mac-and-cheese

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