Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Place the uncooked butternut squash cubes into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Once you can easily pierce a fork through the cubes, it is ready. Do not overcook — we don’t want this to brown!

Add the cooked butternut squash into the blender and puree. You may have to do this in a few batches depending on the size of your blender. If the squash isn’t blending well, add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen it up.

Measure out 1 ½ cups of pureed butternut squash for use in this recipe. The rest can be refrigerated and used for a different recipe or enjoyed as a side dish with another meal.

Reduce oven heat to 375°F. Spray another 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large pot that fits at least 2 quarts, cook gluten-free macaroni until al dente. Do not overcook this — we don’t want it to be mushy!

Once the macaroni is cooked to al dente, place it in a strainer and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking further. Set aside.

In an extra-large pot (at least 5 quarts), melt the butter over low heat.

Whisk the flour into the butter until it forms a paste. This step needs to be done quickly so that the flour doesn’t start to burn. As soon as a light paste forms (only takes a few seconds), immediately move pour the milk and Italian seasoning into the butter mixture.

On low-medium heat, bring to a light simmer and continue to simmer and whisk constantly for 5 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken.

Remove the pot from the heat and add in 2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk together until the cheese is fully melted.

Whisk in the 1 ½ cups of pureed butternut squash until fully mixed.

Pour in the strained macaroni and stir well with a spatula until the macaroni is fully mixed. Use a spatula to place all of the macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dish. Be sure to get all of the sauce out of the pot and into the baking dish.

Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese evenly over top of the macaroni mixture.

Sprinkle the gluten-free breadcrumbs evenly over top of the shredded cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is fully melted. Serve hot.