Butternut Squash Mac N Cheese

Hey yall!! Hope you are doing well! Last night I made this and it was just delightful! I definitely went back for seconds. So here ya go for a healthier alternative to one of my all time favorites broccoli mac n cheese!!

Ingredients: 
- 1/2 cup cooked (1 cup raw) and pureed butternut squash
- 1 cup (or more - your preference) steamed broccoli florets
- 3 cups multigrain elbow macaroni
- 5 TBS shredded parmesan, divided into 3 TBS for topping and 2 TBS for mac n cheese
- 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon EVOO
- 2 1/4 cup fat-free or 1% milk
- 3 TBS all-purpose flour
- 2 TBS of cream cheese, cut into chunks
- 1 1/4 TSP salt
- 1/2 TSP dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1/8 TSP cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

Directions: 

1. Cook butternut squash. You can either steam in a saucepan or pop that baby in the microwave. I bought a bag of already cubed butternut squash from Trader Joe's, cut a corner of the bag and heated it in the microwave for 5 minutes on high. Once cooked, set aside to let cool for minute. Then put in a small food processor and puree. Set aside.
3. Chop your broccoli or pour it out of a bag if you buy frozen (we do both), place into a small pan, fill with a little bit of water, put a lid on it and steam. Once cooked, set aside.
4. Get a large sauce pan, and cook your noodles according to the instructions on the package.
5. While your noodles and broccoli are cooking, get a small bowl and mix in the panko breadcrumbs, EVOO and 3 TBS of the parmesan cheese to make your topping. Set aside.
6. Turn on oven boiler with rack in center of oven. Spray a large and shallow baking dish with non-stick spray.
7. Once your pasta is done cooking, drain and set aside. In the same pot used to cook the noodles, whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Add cut-up cream cheese. Cook over medium heat, until mixture comes to a boil. Should be around 5 minutes. Whisk in salt, mustard, garlic and cayenne. (I didn't actually measure these. I just put in the amount that looked good.)
8. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking until mixture thickens. Should be about 2 minutes.
8. Remove from heat. Stir in sharp cheddar, remaining 2 TBS of parmesan cheese, and squash until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and cooked broccoli florets.
10. Pour into your prepared baking dish, sprinkle topping on top. Broil until brown on top (4-5 minutes). Make sure you are paying attention because you can go from golden to burnt in 0.2 seconds.
11. Take out of oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Your kitchen will smell amazing and I couldn't wait the whole five minutes. Serve in bowels and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did! Feel free to add meat and other veggies! I just kept it simple for the first time around. Will definitely put more of a spin on it next time.

Love,
Amanda