This butternut squash mac and cheese is rich and creamy with the perfect hint of sweetness from the squash and a salty crunch from the bacon breadcrumbs.
If you thought mac and cheese couldn’t get any better, I’ve got news for you! This recipe takes your homemade macaroni and cheese to the next level, adding a creamy sweetness from the butternut squash, and combining panko breadcrumbs with crispy bacon to add an amazing slightly salty and savory crunchy topping.
Why You’ll Love Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
Hearty & Versatile – Macaroni and cheese is a family favorite that can be served with any protein to make a complete meal. It can be served on cold, cozy evenings or alongside burgers and hot dogs at your summer cookout.
Easy To Make Recipe – Mac and cheese is easy to make, and most of the cook time here is spent waiting for the pasta to be done and the bake time in the oven. It’s simple to put together and tastes way better than that store-bought boxed macaroni.
Great For Meal Prep – This is great for making ahead of time if you like planning meals in advance. Whip up a batch of this butternut squash mac and cheese, store the leftovers in the dish in the refrigerator, and reheat and serve as needed!
Adds An Extra Pop Of Nutrients – The butternut squash in this mac and cheese recipe adds important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber! A serving of this will include a dose of Vitamins A, C, and E, your B vitamins, potassium, manganese, and magnesium.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Butternut Squash: You can use a fresh butternut squash, which you’ll peel first then cut into cubes. If you want to save prep time, many stores have pre-cut butternut squash in the produce section.
- Sweet Yellow Onion: You’ll sauté the squash with a sweet yellow onion to develop a sweet and savory flavor combination for the sauce. If you don’t have a sweet yellow onion, you can sub in a regular yellow or white onion. We don’t recommend red onions as they have a different flavor profile.
- Bacon: You’ll add an extra crunch and bit of saltiness to your breadcrumbs with bacon. You can use regular or thick cut, just be sure to cook it until crispy, rest it on paper towels to cool and remove the remaining bacon grease, then roughly chop before adding to the breadcrumbs.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumb toppings add a delightful crunchy topping to baked mac and cheese. You can use store-bought panko, or make your own ahead of time.
- Pasta: You can use any pasta shape you prefer, but we recommend shapes that hold onto the rich, creamy cheese sauce. Go for elbows, small or medium shells, mini penne, fusilli, or cavatappi.
- Milk & Cream: These help build the creamy roux, combined with butter and flour. While this recipe calls for whole milk and heavy cream, you can swap these for lighter alternatives like low fat milk and half and half.
- Cheese: In this recipe, we recommend cheddar, jack, or a Mexican blend of the two, plus the addition of Swiss or gruyere. We prefer a combination of cheddar and gruyere, with gruyere being a must due to the creaminess and the wonderful flavors it adds, but you can mix and match as you please based on your flavor preferences.
Refer to the Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients with precise measurements.
How To Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Getting started: Precook the bacon so that it can rest and cool. While the bacon is cooking, prep the butternut squash, chop the onion, and get your water on the stove.
- Cook the squash: Heat your skillet and cook the butternut squash and onion with butter, salt, and pepper. Stirring occasionally and cooking until very tender and beginning to brown. Mash mixture thoroughly with a masher, ricer, or mallet.
- Make the breadcrumbs: You can prep this while the squash is cooking. Add panko breadcrumbs and cooked, crumbled bacon the the food processor and blend well. While motor is running, add melted butter to the mixture until well incorporated and set aside.
- Prep the pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, add a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking and set aside.
- Make the roux: Melt butter in a saucepan and add flour, cooking 2-3 minutes to make a roux until the flour is nutty smelling and lightly browned. Slowly whisk in milk and cream and add cheese one cup at a time, stirring until melted and creamy.
- Mix it all together: With the pasta in it’s cooking pot, pour butternut squash mixture and cheese sauce over the pasta and stir until mixed well.
- Bake: Add combined ingredients to a greased baking dish, top with breadcrumb mixture, and bake until hot and bubbly!
Variations, Substitutions, & Cooking Tips
Seasoning – Add a touch of garlic when sauteing the butternut squash and onion if you’d like, and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Make ahead – You can prep the bacon, the breadcrumbs, and even the whole breadcrumb mixture ahead of time, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use – just bring it to room temp before adding to the top of the mac and cheese.
Broil – To make the topping extra crunchy, bake for about 15 minutes, then put it in the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until brown and crispy.
Change the topping – This can be made without the breadcrumb topping if you prefer. or you can use just breadcrumbs or just bacon. You choose!
Add meat – Make it a meal by stirring in leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked, shredded chicken thighs before baking.
Add more veggies – Pack in more nutrients by throwing in your favorite veggies. Peas, chopped broccoli or cauliflower, or chopped carrots.
Milk & Cream – Instead of whole milk and heavy cream, you can use lower fat milk of your choice, a plant based milk, or even coconut cream. Keep in mind that swapping the milk and cream will create a thinner sauce and will alter the original flavor.
Swap the pasta – Instead of pasta, you can even make this with gnocchi.
Storage & Reheating
Storage: Once cooled, place in an airtight container in the fridge. This will keep for about 5 days. Freezing alters the texture of pasta, but if you don’t mind that, this will keep in the freezer for up to one month.
Reheating: Individual portions can be reheated quickly in the microwave. Heat in one minute bursts, stirring in between. Add a splash of milk if needed to bring the creaminess back to the sauce.
Larger portions can be reheated in the oven. Bake in an oven safe dish at 350 for about 15 minutes or until heated through. Again, stir in a splash of milk or cream to bring back the creaminess of the sauce. Baking in the oven also helps reinstate the crunch of the breadcrumb topping.
If you prefer the stovetop, add butternut squash mac ‘n cheese portions to a saucepan or skillet and heat over medium-low. Stir in a splash of milk or cream, and stir frequently to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan. Cook until heated through.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon Breadcrumbs
This butternut squash mac 'n cheese is rich and creamy with the perfect hint of sweetness from the squash and a salty crunch from the bacon breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
- 10-12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbs butter, divided (1 stick)
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups shredded cheddar, jack or a Mexican blend
- 2 cups shredded Swiss or gruyere
- 1 pound small pasta, I like mini penne but macaroni also works well
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place panko breadcrumbs and cooked and crumbled bacon into a food processor; blend until it is all roughly the same size. Melt 1/4 cup butter and, with the motor running, drizzle into bread crumb mixture and process until incorporated. Set aside. (Note: this step is optional. The texture of the breadcrumbs is recommended, however, but you could omit just the bacon or the entire mixture altogether if you desire).
- Melt 1 tbs butter in skillet and add chopped onions and butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions and squash are very tender and beginning to brown. Using a meat mallet (or other utensil), mash squash thoroughly. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Set aside until sauce and squash mixture is done (you can drizzle a little olive oil on it to keep it from sticking).
- Melt remaining butter in large saucepan; add flour. Stir to form a roux and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until flour smells nutty and is lightly brown. Whisk in milk and cream and bring to a simmer. Add cheese, a cup at a time, and continue stirring until cheese is completely melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Grease a 13x9 baking dish (I have used an 11x7 with no problems). Add cooked pasta and butternut squash/onion mixture to sauce; mix thoroughly. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle bacon breadcrumbs over the top.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it is hot and bubbling at the edges. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 743Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 776mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 34g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
Try These Recipes Next!
- Meatballs & Rice Skillet Meal
- Scalloped Potatoes With Ham
- Rice and Mushroom Casserole
- Fresh Broccoli Rice Casserole with Chicken
- Smoked Cream Cheese - May 14, 2024
- Caprese Bites Appetizer Recipe - March 10, 2024
- Bruschetta Caprese Recipe - March 6, 2024