Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Mac & Cheese with Roasted Winter Squash

Mac & Cheese with Roasted Winter Squash

Classic comfort food--with the addition of a seasonal vegetable. Long-storing winter squash is cubed, roasted, and tossed into macaroni and cheese flavored with Italian sausage.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

Long-storing winter squash are one of the ways that I feed my family from the farm share during the off season when we're not getting weekly boxes of fresh vegetables. For today's recipe I chose one of the squash that came from my compost pile. I'm thinking it's a cross between a butternut and a pumpkin or maybe it's an albino pumpkin like all the albino squirrels in my town. Who knows? Either way, it was a pale fleshed winter squash, part of the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in my cold basement, and worked just as well as a pumpkin or butternut squash would in this recipe.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

I don't combine this stuff on a whim, you know. [That's not exactly accurate. On Monday I posted a recipe that evolved as I was preheating the skillet and my daughter was throwing out ideas, which turned into Mardi Gras Fried Rice. Whims were involved.] Last year I took a sugar pie pumpkin from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share and baked mac and cheese in it. I got the recipe from the versatile cookbook, Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese (Amazon affiliate link). I first made that recipe before my spouse returned from a deployment. I was thinking that I had to make it again for him as the recipe is such a good one and because I crave comfort foods like mac & cheese when it's cold out. You can find that recipe here, or, if you're local to me, I donated a copy of the cookbook to my local library.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

The thing is, I rarely re-make a recipe without tweaking it somehow.  [Heck, even my morning oatmeal is currently undergoing revisions.] When I was spooning that mac & cheese into the pumpkin, I wondered about skipping the adorable container/serving dish concept and instead stirring pumpkin into the mac and cheese and then baking it. I kept the rest of the elements the same because the flavors are so good together (I have made 4 or 5 recipes from MELT and each time was successful). Because the baking time is 1½ hours total, this is not a weeknight meal. However, it feeds 8 to 10 people and the leftovers reheat well, so it's a weekend meal making leftovers that could become lunches or fast dinners on hockey busy nights during the week.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

For another mac and cheese recipe, please check out Macaroni and Cheese with Beet Greens, Ham and Manchego. For other recipes using winter squash, please see my Winter Squash Recipe Collection, part of my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

Mac & Cheese with Roasted Winter Squash

1 winter squash (small pie pumpkin or butternut squash) halved, scooped, peeled & cubed (6 cups)
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper
⅓ pound (about 5-6 ounces) Italian sausage, cooked and drained
½ pound (8 ounces dry) elbow macaroni, cooked al dente according to package directions
½ pound (8 ounces) fontina cheese, cut into small cubes
½ pound (8 ounces) gruyere cheese, cut into small cubes
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1½ cups (12 ounces) heavy cream
freshly ground pepper and salt to serve at the table (I used pepper only)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl toss squash cubes with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then stir around the sheet and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Set aside.
[You can be cooking the noodles and sausage and  . . . cubing . . . the cheese during this time.]
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the same large bowl (no need to wash) combine cooked sausage, cooked macaroni, cheeses and herbs. Toss with squash cubes. Pour cream over top and stir to combine. Transfer to a 3 quart casserole dish [I did not grease mine, thinking that the heavy cream, cheese and sausage was plenty, and it cleaned up fine.] Cover and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes until the top is browned and crispy in spots because that's the best part.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/mac-cheese-with-roasted-winter-squash.html

This is shared with What's Cookin' Wednesday.

20 comments:

  1. Oh yum - This looks delicious! My picky-eater daughter would love this (and I'd love that she's getting in some veggies while enjoying her favorite meal!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martha,
      I've had picky eaters, and I know that satisfaction of getting something extra into that kid.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. This mac and cheese has so many wonderful flavors involved. I love the selection of cheeses you chose and I'm sure the italian sausage is a perfect addition. I'm really looking forward to trying this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanie,
      Stephanie Stiavetti and Garrett McCord are the genius behind this recipe--I just made it work with the squash that my garden dreams up. Thanks!

      Delete
  3. Mac and cheese is my happy place. These pictures came out fantastic. Love the delicious salty cubes of cheese too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      What? No comment on cutting the cheese? The 12 yr old boy in you snickered though, right?
      Ya gotta do something with all that squash, you know, and I'm glad with how this turned out.
      Thank you my friend!

      Delete
  4. I love your parantheticals--they are hilarious. Is that a word? It is underlined red but I swear I spelled it right. Huh. Anyway, also love this dish. And I too love how winter squash can keep you going locally all winter long. I used to store it in my garage when we lived in Pennsylvania. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The parentheticals are what I get when I'm typing off the cuff late at night. I should go to bed at a reasonable hour. My old house kitchen is cold--but the basement is more consistently cold and the squash is happy there this year.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. I love sneaking in creamy squash in mac 'n cheese! Love this recipe + the fantastic cheeses! Going to make some up and freeze to have when the squash is gone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marjory,
      That is a wonderful idea! I freeze roasted beets like I'm being paid to do it, but I rarely freeze squash and never freeze entrees because I'd rather stand and stare at the fridge pondering what's for dinner than just pull out a package the night before.
      I really ought to do that, and avoid all the run on sentences.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  6. OK, so cubing the squash is a lot more sensible than cooking the mac 'n cheese into it, but I love the concept of food cooked in squash. I did chili in an albino pumpkin and it was awesome. Anyway, I've never done mac 'n cheese with cubed squash and sausage - sounds delightful to this meat-eater/squash-lover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura,
      Who wants to be sensible? Oh wait, I totally want to be sensible. :) Now chili--that sounds like a great idea! I'd be happy to dig in!

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Julie,
      You know, I still think it looks prettier *in* the pumpkin--but this way was so much easier to make and serve.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  8. YUM! Love the addition of winter squash!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimmie,
      Winter squash worked really well in this mac and cheese. Then again--mac and cheese is hard to mess up!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  9. Meg told me that you have amazing recipes and dammit, that lady never lies. I can't believe it took us a facebook thread to connect. Kirsten- you have a new fan.

    Also. My sass trumps Megs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arman,
      Nope, Meghan never lies--but she's fed me peach kombucha beer before noon--and that probably trumps anything you've got! (Is them fightin' words?)
      Thanks!

      Delete
  10. If I had my way I would put squash in everything! I love that you threw it in mac and cheese....yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brandy,
      I'm not sure I could put squash in everything--many things. Mushrooms could also go in many things . . . but I draw the line at fungal desserts--that's just wrong. Moving along--
      Thanks!

      Delete