Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Happy almost Fall! 

If you know me, you know I love Fall. Every year, as September approaches, my impatience gets the best of me and I start to jump into all of the Autumn activities I love. One of my favorite things to do during this season is cook. For me, nothing beats homemade pumpkin or apple desserts or a butternut squash based entree. 

Today, I decided to make gluten-free Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. A few years ago, when I tried to avoid eating dairy, I made a similar recipe for Pumpkin Mac & Cheese. You can find the recipe here: Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese.

While it may truly be too early to find pumpkin in grocery stores, luckily for me, butternut squash is always a staple I get from Trader Joes all year around.

Ingredients: 

• 1 package of pasta. I used Trader Joes organic, gluten-free brown rice pasta
• 1 cup  shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ butternut squash (I got the pre-cubed raw butternut squash from Trader Joes)
• 2 TB butter
• ⅓  cup vegetable broth
• ½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• 2 shallots
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• 2 TB olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cube the butternut squash (skip this step if you bought the packaged, pre-cut butternut squash) and finely chop the shallots. Place on a pan and coat with olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for around 35 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked through.
2. In a food processor, add butternut squash, shallots, and vegetable broth. Blend until thoroughly mixed. It should be the consistency of a purée.
3. In a small pot, sauté butter and garlic on medium-low, making sure the garlic does not burn. Add the butternut squash mixture from the food processor, coconut milk, and cheese to the pot, mixing on medium-low until the cheese has melted and is mixed through.
4. In the meantime, boil water in a large pot and make the pasta based on the package instructions. I recommend storing the cheese mixture separate from the pasta. 
5. In a bowl, gently stir in the cheese with pasta. Top with a little cayenne pepper if you would like.

Voilà!