Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese is incredibly creamy, flavorful, and easy to make! Made with a creamy butternut squash sauce, cheddar, parmesan, and smoked gouda cheese, fresh thyme + sage, and a crispy, buttery bread crumb topping. This side dish will be the star of your Thanksgiving meal!
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This mac and cheese is LEGIT. I mean, we’re using three kinds of cheese and a creamy butternut squash sauce. Not to mention that buttery, crispy bread crumb topping! To add to the good news, this side dish is SO easy to make! Even if you’ve never made homemade mac and cheese before, you can absolutely make this!
How to Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese:
Start by making the butternut squash base! We’re sautéing some fresh herbs + our garlic and onion in butter. I mean, this is Thanksgiving – and nothing adds flavor like butter!
Next, add the butternut squash and broth (veggie or chicken both work) and simmer until the squash is tender.
Use an immersion blender (it’s so handy!) or a regular blender to puree the mixture. Stir in the milk, and then stir in the cheese! That’s it – the sauce is SO simple to make. Cook your pasta while you’re making the sauce. I love using shells in this recipe, but any type of pasta will work!
For the bread crumb topping, just melt (or brown!) some salted butter, and mix it with some panko bread crumbs and add a pinch of thyme + sage for extra flavor.
Pour the mac and cheese into a baking dish, add a sprinkle of parmesan, and add the bread crumbs on top. I’m loving Ello’s new DuraGlass Bakeware (I used the 9×13 pan here) because it’s got a built in silicone trivet that’s oven safe, and each piece comes with an airtight lid to ensure your leftovers won’t dry out in the fridge (that would be the SADDEST). It also works great for make-ahead dishes, like this one! You can prep the mac and cheese without the bread crumbs a day ahead, store it in the fridge with the lid on, and then add the topping and bake it the day of Thanksgiving!
You could even prep the whole thing, freeze it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge, and bake it the day of Thanksgiving. One less thing to worry about prepping the day (or even the week) of! Major holiday-prep win!
Thanksgiving prep was never so easy – or so delicious! This dish is vegetarian, but if you want to, you can add some chopped cooked chicken or bacon to the mac and cheese before baking. Top it with a sprinkle of parmesan and some fresh herbs, for decoration, if you want!
Is mac and cheese part of your Thanksgiving traditions already? It hasn’t been in our house in the past, but now that this recipe exists, it will forever have a place on our table!
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Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the Butternut Squash Sauce
- 4 TBSP salted butter
- handful of fresh sage + thyme
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 large squash should yield this much
- 1 and 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 and 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 pound pasta
- 12 ounces cheddar cheese See Note Below
- 1 1/2 cup parmesan reserve the 1/2 cup for later
- 7 ounces smoked gouda See Note Below
- 4 TBSP corn starch
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 TBSP salted butter, melted or browned See Note
- pinch of thyme + sage
Instructions
- Make the Butternut Squash Sauce: Add the butter to a large dutch oven over medium heat. While it's melting, toss in the handful of fresh sage and thyme, and stir, sauteeing for a minute. Remove the herbs, reserve them for later. Add the onion and garlic, and continue sauteeing until softened. Add the butternut squash and the dried sage + thyme and salt + pepper. Stir to combine everything. Add broth and the reserved herbs we sautted in butter earlier, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender. Remove the herbs and discard. Stir in the milk and use an immersion blender (or transfer the mixture to a blender) and puree until smooth. Get your pasta cooking - follow package directions and cook it just a minute or two under the recommended time (we want it on the al dente side since it's going in the oven, too). Drain the pasta once done. Add the sauce back to the dutch oven on medium heat. Grate the cheese - it's important to do this because pre-shredded cheese often has thickeners that can cause your cheese sauce to clump or become gritty. Add the cheese, remembering to reserve 1/2 cup of the parmesan, a handful at a time, stirring well between each addition to ensure it melts smoothly. Stir in the pasta. Taste and add more seasoning as desired. To thicken up the sauce, take out 6 TBSP of sauce and add to a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp corn or tapioca starch and stir until completely mixed into the sauce. Add that back into the pot while still over medium heat, and stir for a few minutes until it thickens up a bit. If you want it even a bit thicker, repeat with 1 TBSP corn starch dissolved into 2 TBSP water.
- Assemble: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an Ello DuraGlass 9x13 pan with nonstick spray. Add the mac and cheese. Top with the remaining parmesan. Stir together the melted butter, panko, and a pinch of thyme, salt, and sage and sprinkle over the top of the mac and cheese.
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes - the cheese should be a little bubbly - and broil 1-2 minutes at the end to brown the breadcrumbs.
- Serve + Store: Serve immediately! Store leftovers, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 6 days.
- Make Ahead Tips: The sauce (without the cheese added) can be made 1-2 days ahead and kept in the fridge until ready to finish making. The whole dish, without the bread crumb topping, can be made and stored in the baking dish, covered well, in the fridge for 1-2 days before finishing and baking.
Notes
Nutrition
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Faith says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was quickly devoured by all, including my picky kids and husband who isn’t a butternut squash fan! We smoked the Mac and cheese and it totally took it to another level in flavors! Lots of work making the sauce, but well worth it.
Stephanie Simmons says
Wow, it looks like half your Thanksgiving menu was my recipes – I’m so flattered!! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave comments on all the recipes you tried – I greatly appreciate that! And I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this mac and cheese, too!
Annie says
Really tasty!! Made it using a third of the ingredients and it fed three of us as a main meal. Will definitely be making it again in the future!
Stephanie Simmons says
So glad you liked this, Annie! 🙂
Natalie says
Oh wow… never tried pumpkin mac&cheese. But now I definitely must make it and give it a try. This recipe sounds so delicious and looks so tasty. My family will love this too I’m sure!
Leanne says
Mac and cheese is such a crowd pleaser and I can’t believe I’ve never thought to make it with a butternut squash sauce. This looks amazing and would make the perfect side dish for the holidays!
Byron Thomas says
This dish sounds like the perfect fall comfort food. I’ve just printed the recipe so that I can make it this weekend. This is the weekend we put up our Christmas tree, and think this dish will add the right finish to a day of decorating.