Main course American-inspired
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Editorially prepared
Short pasta coated in a smooth sauce of butternut squash, mature Cheddar and creamy goats’ cheese. The sweetness of the squash balances the tangy cheeses in this hob-cooked take on mac and cheese.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
For more servings, use a wider pan for the squash and a suitably large pasta pot. Cooking time does not increase in direct proportion: the squash must be completely tender before blending.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of butternut squash fleshHokkaido squash
Use the same prepared weight of flesh. Remove the skin for the smoothest sauce. Hokkaido squash can be more floury than butternut, so the sauce may need extra pasta water.
- Instead of mature Cheddarmature Gouda
You can use the same weight of Gouda, finely grated from a block. Choose a mature cheese rather than a very hard, crumbly one. The sauce will be less tangy and more nutty; add the cheese off the heat.
- Instead of soft rindless goats’ cheeseplain cream cheese
If soft goats’ cheese is unavailable, use the same weight of full-fat cream cheese. The sauce will remain creamy but will taste milder and lack the distinctive goats’ cheese flavour.
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Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
large pasta pot · wide heavy-based saucepan with a lid · stick blender · knife, vegetable peeler and chopping board · fine grater · colander · heatproof jug for reserving pasta water
Method
0/6 stepsPrepare the ingredients
Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta. Cut the peeled, deseeded squash flesh into roughly 1 cm cubes. Finely grate the Cheddar and break the goats’ cheese into small pieces.
Cut squash into roughly 1 cm cubes for even cooking. Finely grate the Cheddar. Cook the squash until tender
Melt 20 g of butter in the wide saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add 500 g of squash and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, without letting it brown deeply. Pour in 250 ml of milk, bring to a gentle simmer and reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 15–18 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the base. The squash should collapse easily when pressed with a fork. Add a splash of water if too much liquid evaporates.
18:00The squash is ready when it collapses easily under a fork. A soft outer surface alone is not enough. Cook the pasta
While the squash cooks, salt the boiling water and add 320 g of pasta. Cook according to the packet timing until al dente — tender with a little bite in the centre. Reserve a mugful of cooking water before draining. Drain without rinsing; ideally, time the pasta to finish just before it is combined with the sauce.
Reserve cooking water before draining; it helps loosen and bring the sauce together. Blend the sauce
Take the pan of tender squash off the heat. Blend the squash and milk into a completely smooth sauce, keeping the blender head submerged to prevent hot splashes. If the mixture is too thick to blend freely, add a little of the reserved pasta water.
Blend until smooth with no visible squash pieces. Keep the blender head below the surface. Add the cheeses
With the hot sauce still off the heat, add 120 g of Cheddar and 80 g of goats’ cheese. Stir until the cheeses melt and the sauce is smooth and creamy. If it needs more warmth, place the pan over the lowest heat and stir briefly without allowing it to boil.
Stir the cheeses into the hot sauce off the heat. Boiling can spoil its texture. Combine and serve
Add the drained pasta and stir thoroughly. Add the reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce is glossy and coats the pasta loosely rather than forming a stiff mixture. If needed, warm over a low heat for 1–2 minutes without boiling. Season with pepper and, after tasting, salt. Serve straight away.
The sauce should coat the pasta loosely. Add water a little at a time and serve straight away.
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Tips
- Cut the squash into small, evenly sized cubes. Larger pieces take longer to cook and may leave lumps in the sauce.
- Do not boil the sauce after adding the cheeses: gentle heat helps keep it smooth.
- Before serving, leave the sauce slightly looser than you want the finished dish, as the pasta quickly absorbs it.
- Adjust the salt only after adding the cheeses and pasta water, which already contribute saltiness.
Storage
Transfer leftovers to a shallow, lidded container and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Keep for up to 2 days. Reheat only once over a low heat with a splash of water, stirring frequently, until steaming hot throughout. The pasta absorbs sauce during storage. Freezing is not recommended as it affects the texture of both the pasta and the sauce.
Timing
Hands-on: 25 min · Cooking: 30 min
Cooking questions
How do I keep the sauce smooth?
Cook the squash until completely tender and blend it before adding the cheeses. Stir in finely grated Cheddar and soft goats’ cheese off the heat. Add pasta water gradually and do not boil the sauce after adding cheese.
Can I use Hokkaido squash?
Yes: use the same weight of peeled, deseeded flesh. Hokkaido can be more floury, so the sauce may need extra pasta water. Check that the squash is fully tender before blending.
