Healthy Macaroni and Cheese

I am all about comfort food. Sure I like healthy, clean food and how it makes me feel. But sometimes, you just need some good old greasy, cheesy, warm food. Those days I need a little comfort, macaroni and cheese is my go-to. And I’m not talking out of a box. I mean the homemade kind my mother made us growing up. Although I still make my mom’s recipe, I’ve modified it a bit to make it healthy macaroni and cheese.

Growing up, one of my favorite dishes from my mom was mac’n cheese. I thought it was the best thing on earth. It’s always been more of a lunch food for me, so the nights when she’d serve it for dinner were extra special. As a mother now, I know those were the nights when she was probably in a rush, hadn’t taken anything out for dinner, and needed to quickly put something on the dinner table. Contrary to popular belief, homemade mac’n cheese is so quick and easy to make! In the time it takes to make its boxed version, you can have the homemade option on the table.

I remember the first time my mother-in-law witnessed me make it, she was in awe of how fast and easy it was. I always have all these ingredients on hand for this quick lunch. With 4 kids now, I always try and make sure every meal is healthy and has some veggies in it. This healthy macaroni and cheese version has some hidden vitamins. Butternut squash makes such a smooth puree and has the perfect color to hide in the sauce. Therefore, it was a no-brainer for me to add it in!

The Ingredients.

I will peel, chop, and steam or boil a whole squash. Once it’s cooled, I’ll puree it in the blender till I get a smooth consistency. The leftovers are either stored in the fridge to make Healthy Spice Pancakes or popped into the freezer to throw into a smoothie. It’s such an inconspicuous add-in that no one is the wiser when it’s hiding in food. My kids will happily eat things with butternut squash inside without even knowing it lol.

You can use any kind of pasta you wish. Some days I’ll use elbow, some of my other favs are rotini or shells. Anything that will hold that cheesy goodness in. You can always make this recipe omitting the squash if you wish. You can also try different cheese variations. Mix it up! As long as you follow the measurements for the roux, it’s all that matters.

What is a roux? It is a simple mix of equal parts butter and flour that will thicken up a sauce. You can use a roux to make your thanksgiving gravy with the dripping or any kind of creamy sauce…rose, alfredo. It’s a great culinary trick to have up your sleeve. It sounds really fancy, but there’s nothing to it. All you’ll need to do is melt your butter, add your flour and whisk until it starts to bubble, continue to mix it for a minute, then slowly add your milk, continuing to whisk until the mixture thickens. Tada! You’ve made a bechamel. Once you get a nice thick sauce, you can toss in your grated cheese and seasonings…and that’s it! You’ve now turned your bechamel into cheese sauce. You can use this sauce to pour over steamed broccoli or cauliflowers as well. So yummy!!!

To make the healthy macaroni and cheese variation, all you need to do is add the squash puree you made right before you add the cheese to your sauce.

There you have it! A healthy macaroni and cheese recipe you can feel good about serving your family. I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you’ve got some leftover squash, make sure to check out my Healthy Spice Pancakes to use it up! Thank you for stopping by today.

Elisa