baked pumpkin + butternut mac 'n cheese

about a month ago i made my first pumpkin mac and cheese following this recipe. 

we liked it, but i think i'm more of a baked mac + cheese kinda gal.

 since i still had some gruyere cheese on hand, i started looking through cookbooks (i usually just google recipe options, but though i should make use of a wedding gift).

i finally settled on a recipe from our betty crocker cookbook, 

making some modification along the way.

ingredients

2 T butter

1/4 c. white flour

2 c. 1% milk

salt + pepper to taste

1/4 t. dry mustard

1/4 t. worcestershire sauce

1.5 c. whole wheat elbow pasta (uncooked)

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 c. gruyere cheese, grated

3/4 c. pumpkin puree*

1/2 c. butternut squash puree*

*note about puree creation: it's surprisingly simple

roast the pumpkin cut in half at 350 degrees F for 30 min.

let cool & puree in blender or food processor

roast butternut squash cubes at 350 degrees F for 45 min.

let cool & puree in blender or food processor 

directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

grate cheeses and set aside

using large sauce pan, melt butter of medium heat

when butter is melted, add milk, flour, salt, pepper, mustard and worcesrershire

stir often (it will slowly thicken)

while stirring, cook pasta according to package directions

bring to boil & stir continuously for 1 minute

remove from heat, add cheeses, then add pumpkin and butternut purees

add cooked pasta to the cheese + squash sauce, gently mix together

coat 9x9 glass baking pan with non-stick spray

pour macaroni and cheese sauce into the baking dish 

& bake for 25-30 min or until slightly brown & bubbly

i liked this recipe a lot and my husband agreed it was better than the last one. 

the butternut squash flavor combined with pumpkin really added something. 

this dish was creamy & the only lumpy part was from the butternut squash puree 

(i don't think i waited long enough for it to cool before putting it in the blender), 

but i wouldn't say the small bits of squash ruined it by any means. 


i'm linking this post here