I’m so excited about this recipe! You may remember a recipe I shared with you all a couple years back. It contained remnants of the “yucky” dinner that my kids couldn’t even stomach. Sneakily, I added the baked butternut squash and a few other ingredients, resulting in some “magic chocolate muffins.” They had no clue they were eating butternut squash.

Magic chocolate muffin recipe here!

I still may tweak the above recipe for a fluffier consistency (and maybe a frosting or filling).

For this recipe, I combined macaroni and a few other ingredients to make a mouth-watering combo! In a saucepan I made a homemade Alfredo sauce, using real Parmesan cheese, then I pureed the baked butternut squash. Lastly, I drizzled the new sauce over the leftover mac and cheese.

Do you see any bits of butternut squash in the mac and cheese? I don’t. And my kids clearly didn’t! #momwin

Ingredients:

• macaroni or linguine, cooked
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 cup baked butternut squash (baked only with oil and salt)
• about 2 oz. grated from wedge of Parmesan cheese
• 2 TBS. butter
• 4 TBS. flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Recipe:

1. Prepare your macaroni or linguine. Drizzle cooked pasta with olive oil.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk cheese and flour until it becomes pasty. Next, whisk the milk in. Season to taste.
3. Once sauce thickens, add the baked butternut squash right to the saucepan. Puree using an immersion blender.
4. Pour over (warmed) elbow mac or mac and cheese. Stir in well.
5. Depending on your crowd, you may want to pop this into a casserole dish and warm on 300 degree for about 10 minutes (covered). Or for a quick heat, pop in the microwave for 3-4 minutes on high.

I’m almost certain that the Parmesan cheese played a big role! Up until now I hadn’t played much with it because of cost, but now I see how often I’ve been able to use it in other dishes. Goodbye to cans of Parmesan (for now)!

When I took my first bite of this magical creation, I’m pretty sure I fell in love. It has such a creamy, rich taste, none of which tastes like hidden vegetables. It will literally make your mouth water!

Feel free to add other various cheeses to your cheese sauce! And Enjoy!