Butternut Mac and Cheese | Healthy Recipe!

Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

This healthy Butternut Mac and Cheese features a sneaky mixture of squash and cauliflower in place of the traditional butter-based roux. It’s also loaded with holiday flavours, making it the ideal vegetarian friendly main dish.

When I was growing up, my mom didn’t let us have mac and cheese. I know. It was practically child abuse. And it wasn’t even because she thought it was crap. It was because she had a strange phobia of cheese and refused to smell or cook it. Well, thankfully, I didn’t inherit her unusual fear and LOVE THE STUFF.

So I wanted to come up with a mac and cheese recipe to satisfy my cravings but with a healthy holiday spin on it. I love everything butternut squash soup, so why not add some cheese and pasta for a delicious butternut mac and cheese?! Yes please!

Why this Recipe Works

Instead of a heavy cheese and butter base to this mac and cheese recipe, I like lightening it up with a combination of butternut squash and cauliflower. Yep. You heard me right. I made a pretend roux with butternut squash and cauliflower. I also use a really strong flavored cheese, so a little goes a long way.

The butternut mac and cheese is so creamy and rich but your dinner guests will never know that it’s actually good for you!

It’s super flavourful and kid approved. The holiday inspired topping with panko breadcrumbs, garlic, sage, cheese and a sneaky little bit of flaxseed is a winning combo that everyone will love

This healthy butternut mac and cheese makes the perfect vegetarian main for a holiday meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas because it’s something that both the carnivores and vegetarians will love. I mean, I would even be willing to give up my turkey breast for a little of this goodness.

Key Ingredients

Aromatics – The golden caramelized onions and the garlic are the building blocks of flavour for this butternut mac and cheese. Don’t skip these!

Pasta – I use a whole grain pasta to keep this on the healthier side. However, you can use whatever you have on hand.

Butternut squash – I like to use frozen butternut squash for this recipe to cut down on time. But if you want to buy fresh, look for a squash with a solid beige colour, without any deep cuts or bruises.

Cauliflower – Cauliflower takes on other flavours really well and you’ll never guess that it was in this recipe!

Cheeses – It’s not a mac and cheese recipe without cheese! We are using cheddar and parmesan.

Toppings – For holiday flavours, we have a combination of sage, panko, ground flaxseed, parmesan, and garlic.

How To Make This Recipe

Pre-recipe prep: Preheat oven to 375 F and then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes shy of the box’s recommended cooking time. Drain and set aside.

Step 1: In a pan, add the oil over medium low heat. Add the onions and caramelize low and slow until sweet and golden brown- about 30 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Step 2: Pour in the vegetable stock and butternut squash, cover with a lid and increase the heat to medium high. Cook for 5 minutes or until the squash begins to soften.

Step 3: Add in the cauliflower, cover again, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until all of the vegetables fall apart easily when pricked with a fork.

Step 4: Stir in the milk and a pinch of nutmeg.

Step 5: Transfer to a heat-proof stand blender. Puree until very smooth before transferring the mixture back to the pot.

Step 6: Heat the pot over medium heat, stirring in 1 cup of the shredded cheddar and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Gently stir until fully melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 7: Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir until all of the noodles are well coated. Transfer half of the mixture to an 8” square baking dish in a single layer. Top with the reserved 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese and then add the remaining noodles with cheese sauce. Set aside.

Step 8: To make the breadcrumb topping, add the tablespoon of oil to a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute. Add the panko breadcrumbs and toss until fully coated in the oil. Remove the breadcrumbs from the stovetop and mix with the flaxseed, sage, and parmesan cheese.

Step 9: Spread the mixture evenly across the butternut mac and cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce bubbles around the edges and the breadcrumbs start to turn a very light brown colour. Sprinkle with a pinch of fleur de sel and dig in!

Expert Tips

Make sure you shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses comes coated in a coating so they don’t stick together in the bag but makes it melt funny.

You can change things up by adding additional protein to the recipe such as cooked shredded chicken, chickpeas, tofu, bacon, etc to your butternut mac and cheese.

To cut butternut squash, use a sharp chef‘s knife and cut off the top and bottom half inch, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and then dice up the squash.

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes You May Like

If you want some more delicious veggie packed recipes, try these ones!

• SWEET POTATO GRILLED CHEESE BITES (GLUTEN FREE, GRAIN FREE)
• VEGAN GUACAMOLE STUFFED SWEET POTATOES
• HIGH PROTEIN CHICKEN CURRY WITH CAULIFLOWER & SWEET POTATOES

Have you ever tried making butternut squash mac and cheese? Let me know what spins you put on your mac and cheese!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (Healthy)

This healthy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese features a sneaky mixture of whipped squash and low-cal cauliflower in place of the traditional butter-based roux. It’s a perfect Vegetarian Casserole holiday main dish.

4.5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

CourseMain Dish

CuisineAmerican

DietVegetarian

Prep Time15 minutes minutes

Cook Time45 minutes minutes

Total Time1 hour hour

Servings6 -8

Calories420kcal

AuthorAbbey Sharp

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 box whole grain short cut pasta 340 g, (like macaroni, fusilli, penne)
• ▢ 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 10 ml
• ▢ 1 cup small yellow onion finely sliced, about 1/3 or 75 ml
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable stock 375 ml
• ▢ 2 cups frozen peeled butternut squash finely diced, 500 ml
• ▢ 2 cups frozen cauliflower finely diced, 500 ml
• ▢ 3/4 cup skim milk 175 ml
• ▢ Pinch nutmeg
• ▢ 6 oz old cheddar finely shredded, divided, 1 1/2 cups or 375 ml
• ▢ 1 oz parmesan cheese finely grated, 1/4 cup or 60 ml
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• ▢ 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 15 ml
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ 5 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs 75 ml
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp ground flaxseed 7.5 ml
• ▢ 2 tsp fresh sage finely minced, 10 ml
• ▢ 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese finely grated, 45 ml
• ▢ Fleur de sel to finish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes shy of the box’s recommended cooking time. Drain and set aside.
• Return the pot to the stove and add the oil over medium low heat. Add the onions and caramelize low and slow until sweet and golden brown- about 30 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
• Pour in the vegetable stock and squash, cover with a lid and increase the heat to medium high. Cook for 5 minutes or until the squash begins to soften. Add in the cauliflower, cover again, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until all of the vegetables fall apart easily when pricked with a fork.
• Stir in the milk and a pinch of nutmeg, then transfer to a heat-proof stand blender. Puree until very smooth before transferring the mixture back to the pot.
• Heat the pot over medium heat, stirring in 4 oz (1 cup) of the shredded cheddar and an ounce (1/4 cup) of parmesan cheese. Gently stir until fully melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir until all of the noodles are well coated.
• Transfer half of the mixture to an 8” square baking dish in a single layer. Top with the reserved 2 oz (1/2 cup) of grated cheddar cheese and then add the remaining noodles with cheese sauce. Set aside.
• To make the breadcrumb topping, add the tablespoon of oil to a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden, about 1 minute. Add the panko breadcrumbs and toss until fully coated in the oil.
• Remove the breadcrumbs from the stovetop and mix with the flaxseed, sage, and parmesan cheese. Spread them evenly across the casserole and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce bubbles around the edges and the breadcrumbs start to turn a very light brown colour. Sprinkle with a pinch of fleur de sel and dig in!

Video

Notes

Make sure you shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses comes coated in a coating so they don’t stick together in the bag but makes it melt funny.

You can change things up by adding additional protein to the recipe such as cooked shredded chicken, chickpeas, tofu, bacon, etc to your butternut squash mac and cheese.

To cut butternut squash, use a sharp chef‘s knife and cut off the top and bottom half inch, peel it with a vegetable peeler, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and then dice up the squash.

Nutrition

Calories420kcal

Mention @AbbeysKitchen or tag #abbeyskitchen if you try and share this recipe!

Abbey Sharp

Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.