By Wendy Zitzman
Creamy, rich, cheesy, and deliciously satisfying, this comfort food classic has everything you crave in traditional mac and cheese recipes, but for a lot fewer points.
By using butternut squash as a base for the cheese sauce, the dish gets bulked up while not losing any flavor, and while getting a healthy dose of some good for you nutrients.
The flavor of the butternut squash is very mild in this mac and cheese — the cheese is still the star, but it allows you to still keep a lot of sauce so the dish isn’t dry like many other Mac and Cheese Recipes I’ve tried. It’s also a sneaky way to get your kids to eat a vegetable – my 3yr old gobbled it up! And so did I. It was delicious.
I’ll definitely be making this dish on a regular basis.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
Creamy, rich, cheesy, and deliciously satisfying, this comfort food classic has everything you crave in traditional mac and cheese recipes, but for a lot fewer calories.
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Prep TimePrep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook TimeCook Time 45 minutes mins
Total TimeTotal Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
ServingsServings 8 Servings
CaloriesCalories 285 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb butternut squash - cubed
- 12 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste Macaroni Noodles
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ cups fat free vegetable broth
- 1 cups fat free milk
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese - shredded
- 1 cup fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Place the warm squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in cheeses and mix until combined.
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with non-fat cooking spray.
Sprinkle panko evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.25 cupsCalories: 285 kcal (14%)Carbohydrates: 42 g (14%)Protein: 8 g (16%)Fat: 8 g (12%)Fiber: 6 g (25%)
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
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AuthorWendy Zitzman
As your average, every day, All American woman, I look forward to sharing with you my thoughts and ideas on many different topics that interest me such as dieting, health & fitness. Trust me when I tell you that this is one site you NEED to bookmark! I have the most amazing recipes with Weight Watchers Points that you won’t believe are low calorie! As an avid Weight Watchers follower, I have learned so many helpful tips and tools over the years that I am eager to share.
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11 Comments
Christina7 years agoReply
Does anyone know what the sugar would be in this, for the Smart Points calculation?
Heather Waldau8 years agoReply
I would love to try this……would it work in the crockpot all day, any alterations needed
carol9 years agoReply
Does anyone know how many “Old School” points this would be? Do you think mozzarella or cheddar could be substituted?
healthyandfit11 years agoReply
Officially loved this recipe and it was easy to make too!
Julia B.12 years agoReply
Made this tonight and it was AMAZING and the serving size was quite filling, thanks for the great recipe!!
Laura B.12 years agoReply
When I put these ingredients into the WW recipe builder, it actually gives me 8 points per serving for 8 servings. I wonder if your cup of cheese is smaller than their cup of cheese? That’s the only thing that would make that big a difference that I can see. Regardless, I am making this tonight! :)
Christine7 years agoReply
Ummmm, may want to check again, I put all ingredients in and for 8 egual servings (No actual measurements) was 14sp, the servings are ment to be 1 1/4 cup, which if you split 9×13 pan is 13 servings it’s the 7sp like they say, which is about right for that size pan, 8 servings would be like 2 1/2 cups and loads more points
Mrsbrab12 years agoReply
Is this recipe 6 points plus or 7 points plus. At the top of the recipe it says 6 but at the bottom it says seven. Thanks for a great recipe.
Emily12 years agoReply
I made this last night, and it was AMAZING! It actually tasted like the mac and cheese that I once tasted at a BBQ place nearby- the butternut squash gives it a thick, cheesy rue-like texture. This will be a new staple for us!
Jo12 years agoReply
YUM, can’t wait to make!
deborahpucci12 years agoReply
Sounds delicious!
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