This is so good, I sometimes freeze a couple cups of squash and squirrel it away so I can enjoy a batch in midsummer when the next squash harvest is months away. There are so many ways to make macaroni and cheese, I took our family recipe and built this variation.

Farmer Jenni

Ingredients

-1 lb of your favorite pasta or noodle, shells, tubes, and spirals all work well
-3 Tbsp Butter
-2 cloves garlic sliced (optional)
-1/2 medium onion diced (optional but highly recommended)
-1/4 cup all purpose flour
-1 cup of milk
-2 cups of cooked and mashed Winter Squash, steamed, baked, microwaved, sautéed and even roasted are all good options
-8 oz. of your favorite cheeses, I’m a die hard cheddar fan, but anything that melts will work
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1: Cook pasta and drain briefly,
Step 2: While pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan and saute garlic and onion until translucent, (can go all the way to caramelized but maybe not on a weeknight)
Step 3: Remove from heat, let cool about a minute, add flour and combine to make paste, then add milk, starting just a tablespoon or so at a time, mixing well to remove lumps.
Step 4: When all the milk is combined, add mashed squash then return to heat, and bring to simmer stirring constantly, the sauce will thicken up. Next add your cheese. Stir often while cheese melts and it’s done!
Step 5: Combine pasta and sauce, while everything is still warm, salt and pepper to taste
Step 6: Enjoy!