How to Make Delicious Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon. A recipe for Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese with bacon and caramelized onions. I used my favorite mac n' cheese pasta, cavatappi, and topped it all off with buttered plain breadcrumbs - perfect for a crunchy topping, but neutral so as not to disrupt the other flavors. This is a wonderful fall flavored Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe - complete with bacon!

In case you didn't notice by the longest blog title ever, there is a ton of good stuff in this mac and cheese, because sometimes I just need to add in And by everything, I mean caramelized onions, fresh crispy sweet apples, and crispy bacon. This Bacon and Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese features penne covered in a creamy, rich sauce of pureed butternut squash, parmesan, and sharp white cheddar with bacon and fresh sage. This is a particularly flexible dish! You can have Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon using 14 ingredients and 7 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon

1. It's 3 cups of macaroni noodles.
2. It's 2 cups of diced butternut squash.
3. Prepare 1 lbs of bacon, diced.
4. It's 1 of onion, diced.
5. Prepare 5 cloves of garlic, minced.
6. It's 1.5 tsp of dried thyme.
7. Prepare 1/2 tsp of nutmeg.
8. You need 1 tsp of paprika.
9. Prepare 1/4 cup of white wine.
10. You need to taste of Salt and pepper.
11. It's 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
12. It's 1/2 cup of chicken stock.
13. Prepare 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella.
14. It's 1 cups of gruyere cheese.

Bacon Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe Notes. If you don't normally stock panko, you can order it from You can omit the bacon to make this vegetarian butternut squash mac and cheese, just toss the squash with about a tablespoon of oil before. This recipe for butternut squash macaroni and cheese is a quick, great way to incorporate a fall vegetable into a comfort-food Reviews for: Photos of Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. The next time I make it I'll probably add a cup of cooked and chopped bacon to add to the layers of flavor.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon step by step

1. In a large pot, cook pasta just shy of el dente.
2. Meanwhile in an oven proof skillet, brown bacon..
3. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside in colander. Then place the pot back on the heat, boil water and cook the diced butternut squash until soft. Drain the water from the squash, add the chicken broth and blend with hand blender. Once blended add the cream. (If you dont have a hand blender, add all this to a blender and blend until smooth and return back to the pot..
4. Going back to the skillet, once bacon is crisp, remove and set aside. Drain some of the fat from the pan. Add your onions and garlic and seasoning (except paprika) and cook until onions are translucent. This is for about 5 min. Then add your wine to deglaze. Turn off heat..
5. Going back to the pot with the butternut squash puree, once it's warmed through add 2 cups of your shredded cheese and your paprika and stir. Remove from heat. Add your onion mixture to the pot. Mix to combine..
6. Add your cooked macaroni to your cheesy sauce and mix. Stir in half of your crumbled bacon..
7. Pour everything back into your oven safe skillet (or leave it in the pot IF its oven proof) top your mac with the remaining cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake in oven at 375°F for 30-35min or until bubbly and brown..

This decadent, gooey mac and cheese is packed with flavor. No one will guess it's made with butternut squash and way healthier than you'd expect! I love mac and cheese but it can be so rich! Everything is fine in moderation but sometimes you want a bigger portion without the guilt! These easy butternut squash and bacon macaroni and cheese recipe is perfect for the fall and winter holidays, like Thanksgiving and more.