Healthier Mac n Cheese
This family friendly, Healthier Mac n Cheese with butternut squash, cottage cheese & optional walnut crumb is more nutritious and just as delicious as the classic.
Special Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash washed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g full-fat cottage cheese see notes
- 350 g macaroni pasta
- Pinch nutmeg
- Black pepper & salt to taste
- 200 g grated 3 or 4 cheese mix or mature/sharp cheddar (for stronger flavour)
FOR THE CRUMB (optional)
- 70 g walnut halves or pieces
- 45 g panko breadcrumbs or regular
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
See notes for baby & toddler tweaks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°c/200°c fan/425ºf/gas mark 7.
- Slice the butternut squash in half lengthways. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the halves, flesh side down on a lined baking tray and brush with the oil. Use a fork to pierce the skin a few times. Roast at the top of the oven for 45 minutes, or until soft.
- While the butternut squash roasts, make the crumb. Start by preparing the walnuts, either by crushing them into small pieces in a food bag with a meat mallet or rolling pin or by pulsing in a mini food chopper. Line another oven tray with baking paper and add the walnuts, panko and sage and drizzle over the oil. Mix together well with a large spoon and level out. Pop into the same oven, on the middle or bottom shelf, for around 5-7 minutes, until just golden. When done mix the crumb with the spoon again briefly and set aside.
- When the butternut squash is cooked, set aside for around 10 minutes to cool off a little. Towards the end of that time, start cooking your macaroni according to packet instructions.
- Once the butternut squash is just cool enough to handle, remove the flesh from the skin. Set your blender or food processor pot on your scales and scoop out the butternut squash flesh in big chunks, adding them to the blender pot as you go. you will need 310g / 10.93oz / 1 ¼ packed cups. See notes if you want to cook the butternut squash ahead of time.
- Add the cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper and blend until smooth, scraping the pot down when needed.
- When the macaroni is cooked, reserve a ladle of the pasta water and then drain it. Add the pumpkin and cottage cheese sauce to the empty pasta pan and heat through over a low heat for a minute or two. Then add the macaroni back in and stir well. Add the pasta water to loosen up the sauce as needed, a little at a time.
- Lastly, stir through your grated cheese until melted. Level out and top with with a generous amount of the crumb sprinkled over, or sprinkle it on to individual servings.
Notes
COTTAGE CHEESE - You can use low fat if you prefer less fat over more protein.
MAKE IN ADVANCE - you can roast the squash and make the sauce then refrigerate. Just heat it through a couple mins longer in pan.
Baby & Toddler
Leave out the salt. Stick to full fat cottage cheese.
Baby-Led Weaning
For 6–12 months, use a larger pasta shape like rigatoni or penne. For babies 12 months and up, macaroni is fine.Spoon-Feeding
Cook them some tiny pasta shapes (for babies) and mix in some sauce. To serve the crumb to 6 months +, blend the walnuts finely in a mini food chopper, or leave off their serving.STORAGE
Store leftovers in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). Also suitable for freezing, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and reheat in the microwave, breaking up the macaroni and moving it around a little halfway, until steaming hot all the way through.
Nutrition
Calories: 884kcalCarbohydrates: 101gProtein: 35gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 580mgPotassium: 1045mgFiber: 8gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 20507IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 542mgIron: 4mg
Made this recipe?Leave a rating & comment at the bottom of this page! If you’ve printed this recipe, scan the QR code below to get back to it quickly online. You could also post a picture on Instagram and tag @kidfriendlyfamilymeals to share it with me.
