butternut mac & cheese {gluten free}
Remember when you were a kid and Macaroni and Cheese was a staple? The idea of pasta and cheese is amazing but somewhere along the way, the Standard American Diet demolished any nutritious value that this simple dish could provide. This is where I come in. Did you know, it really isn't all that hard making your favorite non- healthy foods into healthy versions. All you really need to do is use real, high quality ingredients, then target your specific limitations. Now, you can create food without so much guilt. Gluten Free is very important to me when I'm feeding my family, but also wholesome ingredients. This definitely has a fair share of fat and carbs, but in moderation, it's a good choice.
What you will need
- 1 pound gluten free elbows (Barilla)
- 2 cups organic milk
- 1/2 organic heavy cream
- 4 cups shredded cheese (I used white cheddar and gruyere)
- 6 Tbs. grass fed butter
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour (Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 tsp. hot sauce, use more if you like spicy (Frank's Red Hot)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup organic butternut squash puree ( I used canned for this recipe, but feel free to roast your own. Any organic can of Butternut Squash will do)
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives for topping
Putting it together
- Fill 1 large pot with water for pasta, set on high heat and add 1 tsp. salt
- In a medium size pot, melt butter and add flour. Whisk for 1-2 minutes This is called a Roux, a mixture of fat, especially butter and flour.
- Add milk and cream, continue to whisk until mixture comes to a low boil and sauce is thickened. You can test this by placing a spoon in sauce. If the back of spoon is fully coated with sauce, it is thickened.
- Turn off heat, and add cheese, stir until fully melted.
- Add butternut squash puree
- Whisk until completely combined, if cheese isn't melting, place pan back to burner and heat for a few minutes.
- Following package instructions, allow pasta to cook, then drain, making sure all water is gone. This recipe does not reheat pasta, so let cook until al dente.
- Pour pasta back into pan and pour cheese mixture over top. Mix to combine and transfer to a serving dish.
- Top with fresh chives and serve