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Satisfy your cheesy pasta cravings, but make it high-protein and packed with veggies with this creamy and healthy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. It tastes just like regular mac and cheese, but with 29 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber!
Quick Summary: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Why Make This Recipe: This creamy squash mac and cheese is made with hidden veggies and extra protein, but still tastes like your favorite comfort food, just healthier.
- Nutrition: 449 calories, 29 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber
- Diet: High Protein, High Fiber, Vegetarian
- Time: 50 Minutes (15 minutes of prep time + 35 minutes of cook time)
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Best for: fall family dinners, meal prep lunches, or a lighter Thanksgiving side.
- Tip: Never bring your cheese sauce above a gentle simmer, or the cream cheese and melted cheese will turn grainy.
This high-protein butternut squash mac and cheese skips the heavy cream and butter to make a healthy alternative to the beloved side dish. It’s loaded with protein from the protein pasta and cottage cheese, and the butternut squash sneaks in fiber without stealing the show from all that cheese.
The protein and fiber help keep you full and fuel your body while your taste buds enjoy the classic mac and cheese flavor. If you like high-protein macaroni recipes, you will love my healthy chili mac and cottage cheese ziti!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No Butter, Flour, or Cream: The butternut squash cheese sauce is thick and creamy from the squash and cottage cheese, so you don’t need extra fat from butter, a flour roux, or heavy cream.
- Hidden Veggies: Butternut squash has a mild, slightly sweet flavor that practically disappears behind the bold flavors of cheddar cheese, gouda, and parmesan. I also hide veggies in these chocolate chip zucchini muffins.
- Tastes Like the Real Thing: Don’t let the addition of veggies and cottage cheese fool you; this recipe tastes just as delicious and indulgent as regular mac and cheese.
Table of Contents
- Quick Summary: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Variations & Dietary Modifications
- How to Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Expert Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe FAQs
- More Delicious Butternut Squash Recipes
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- Butternut Squash: This winter squash has a sweet, nutty flavor that is incredibly mild. When it’s blended, it has a creamy consistency that’s perfect for a cheese sauce.
- Cottage Cheese: Blended cottage cheese doesn’t have a strong flavor, but it adds a lot of protein and makes the cheese sauce extra creamy. I also add cottage cheese to this healthy Alfredo sauce to add protein and make it creamier.
- Protein Pasta: Using protein pasta is an easy way to boost the protein content in your favorite pasta dishes.
- Low-Fat Milk: Use low-fat milk or unsweetened plant-based milk to reduce the fat content while keeping the sauce rich and creamy.
- Cheese: This butternut squash mac and cheese recipe uses a blend of three cheeses, cheddar, gouda, and Parmesan, to create a unique and bold flavor.
- Panko Crumbs: Broiling breadcrumbs over your mac and cheese gives it a little crunch and a lovely golden crust on top.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Add More Protein: Stir in shredded chicken cooked in the Instant Pot or ground turkey before broiling your mac and cheese to give it an extra protein boost and make it a full meal on its own.
- Use Different Veggies: Try using pumpkin puree instead of butternut squash, or stir in some spinach or kale to pack in even more veggies.
- Swap the Cheese: You can use any cheeses you like for mac and cheese. Use a sharp cheddar, like in my healthy mac and cheese with cottage cheese, for more tang. You can also try Gruyère or smoked gouda for a richer, savory flavor.
- Make It Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free protein pasta, like chickpea pasta, and skip the Panko crumbs on top to make this a gluten-free mac and cheese.
How to Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
This baked butternut squash mac and cheese is the perfect way to hide some veggies in your favorite comfort food! It comes together quickly, so before you start cooking, lightly spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick spray. You’ll also want to preheat your broiler about 5 minutes before placing your mac and cheese under it.
- Step 1: Cook the Butternut Squash. Bring a cup of water to a boil in a medium pot. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium and add the butternut squash. Simmer the squash for 5-10 minutes or until it easily mashes against the side of the pot with a fork. Turn off the heat, strain the squash, and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Step 2: Blend the Squash. Transfer the cooled squash to a vented blender along with ¼ cup of vegetable broth. Blend until completely smooth, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Step 3: Blend the Cottage Cheese. Add the cottage cheese to the blender and blend it until the cottage cheese is completely smooth. Cook the pasta according to the package while blending the squash and cottage cheese. Set aside ½ cup of pasta water before straining the pasta.
- Step 4: Sauté the Aromatics. Heat a large pan over medium heat with the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook them for 3-4 minutes, or until they soften and become fragrant.
- Step 5: Add the Milk and Cheeses. Add the milk and blended cottage cheese to the pot. Sprinkle in the cheddar cheese, gouda, and Parmesan. Stir until combined and melted.
- Step 6: Stir In the Squash. Add the blended butternut squash, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir until it’s well combined, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Step 7: Add the Pasta. Stir in the cooked pasta and the pasta water, making sure the pasta is fully coated in the cheese sauce. Turn off the heat and transfer the cheesy pasta to the prepped 9”x13” baking dish. Top with Panko bread crumbs and extra cheese.
- Step 8: Broil. Place the mac and cheese under the broiler for about 4 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown and the breadcrumbs are toasted. Promptly remove from the oven to avoid burning the top. Serve with this zucchini pasta salad. There isn’t actually any pasta in the salad, just zucchini noodles!
Expert Tips
- Gentle Simmer Only: Avoid boiling your cheese sauce. Never let the temperature go beyond a gentle simmer, or the cheese could curdle and turn grainy.
- Multitasking Saves Time: Prepare various parts of the recipe at the same time so the cooking process is quicker. You can cook the pasta in a separate pot while the squash simmers, and preheat the oven while the cheese sauce cooks to save yourself some time.
- Adjust Seasonings Before Broiling: Taste test your cheesy pasta before transferring it to the baking dish and broiling it. It’s easier to add more seasonings while the pasta is hot in the pot than after it’s baked with a toasty crust.
- Storing: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You cannot freeze this mac and cheese because it ruins the texture and makes the cheese grainy and the pasta too soft.
- Reheating: Reheat your butternut macaroni and cheese in the oven at 350°F until it’s heated through. Or place individual servings in the microwave in 30-second intervals. You may need to add a splash of milk or broth to keep it creamy.
Serving Suggestions
Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? This healthy butternut squash mac and cheese is sure to be a hit for dinnertime with the whole family, especially if you need a sneaky way to get the kids to eat their veggies. It pairs well with any BBQ or comfort dish for dinner and can be enjoyed on its own with a salad for lunch.
- Recreate a traditional comfort meal, but make it healthy! Pair it with this turkey meatloaf with no breadcrumbs and a side of roasted vegetables for the perfect recreation of a childhood favorite.
- Nothing beats pairing BBQ and mac and cheese. My low-carb BBQ chicken comes together quickly with little fuss for a low-effort dinner.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe FAQs
No, not really. You can barely taste the butternut squash in this mac and cheese. It’s masked by the bold cheeses and savory flavors.
You can absolutely use frozen or canned butternut squash puree. You don’t need to thaw frozen butternut squash chunks before cooking them, and there’s no cooking needed if you use a canned puree.
Sure, you can make this mac and cheese a stove-only recipe by skipping the bread crumbs and broiling at the end. It takes out the crunchy texture, but it will save you some dishes.
Sure, if you want to save yourself a little time, you can prepare the butternut squash and cottage cheese in advance. Store both of them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
More Delicious Butternut Squash Recipes
If you tried this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups Butternut Squash, cut into ½-inch cubes (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 1 cup Non-Fat Cottage Cheese
- 16 oz Protein Rigatoni Pasta, gluten-free if needed
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- ½ cup Yellow Onion, diced
- 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Low Fat Milk or milk of choice
- 1 cup Low Fat Cheddar Cheese + more for topping
- ⅓ cup Gouda Cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese + more for topping
- ½ tsp Dried Thyme
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ½ cup Pasta Water
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs, gluten-free if needed
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and add the butternut squash. Simmer 5-10 mins or until fork tender – how long will depend on if its fresh or frozen then thawed.
- Turn off the heat then strain squash. Cool for 5 minutes then add to a blender with ¼ of broth and blend until smooth. Remove from the blender, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add cottage cheese to the blender and blend until smooth. Set aside
- Cook the pasta according to the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before straining the pasta and set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat, add the oil, onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 mins just until sautéed. Then add the milk, blended cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir until combined.
- Add the blended butternut squash, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Next add the cooked pasta and pasta water and mix to the large pan. Stir well to combine. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer the mixture from the large pan to a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish that’s lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Top with breadcrumbs and extra cheese. Broil for 4 mins until the top is golden brown then serve!
Notes
- Do not boil the mac and cheese or bring the heat above a gentle simmer, or the cheese will curdle and turn grainy.
- Multitask your steps to save time. Cook the pasta in a separate pot while the squash cooks, and preheat the oven while the cheese sauce simmers to save yourself some time.
- Taste-test your mac and cheese before transferring it to the baking dish and broiling it. Then you can add more seasonings as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This cottage cheese mac and cheese with butternut squash recipe is a spin on my high protein mac and cheese. The butternut squash adds a creamy and delicious texture featuring fall flavors. I hope you enjoy it!