Happy Monday everyone! I’m sure your all in the middle of holiday family fun and busy eating, cooking and eating and cooking! At least that’s the case for me! With lots of family events I’ve one busy bee! Amongst all the holiday chaos one delicious meal I whipped up this week was mac n’ cheese! It has a sophisticated twist with a creamy butternut squash puree, isn’t loaded with cream, is ‘mostly’ gluten free and it’s DELICIOUS!! Served with a delicious mixed green salad, this dish is a perfect meatless meal! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, then quartered and cut into chunks
6 garlic cloves
2 thyme sprigs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1 pound small elbow macaroni or mini shells ( I used 2 boxes of gluten free GOGO Quinoa Macaroni)
3/4 cup grated Gruyere (feel free to add more cheese)

HERBED BREADCRUMB TOPPING:

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

To make the mac ‘n’ cheese:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large saucepan, add the butternut squash, garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, milk, and stock. Cook until the butternut squash is fork-tender. Remove the sprigs of thyme.
Place the squash mixture in a food processor or blender and puree until velvety smooth.
Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in salted water until it is al dente (semifirm). Drain and rinse with cool water.
Spread out the macaroni in a lightly greased 13-inch x 9-inch pan. Pour the squash puree over the noodles.

 

To make the breadcrumbs and bake:
Combine all the ingredients for the herbed breadcrumb topping.

Cover the mac ‘n’ cheese with foil, place in the oven, and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and evenly spread the breadcrumb topping and Gruyere over the top. Transfer to the broiler and broil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

From my Heart to Yours,
Merry Christmas!

Health & Abundance,
Samantha 🙂