Life as a Koenig: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

I hate that I am going to say this. I have a picky eater. It's bad. It's almost on the level of Uncle Chris...almost. Landon changes his eating preferences daily. And by daily, I mean hourly. I once vowed to never make a separate meal for my children, and I've stuck to that for the most part, but, man, it's hard!

So when Grammie brought over a butternut squash from her garden, I couldn't wait to find a new recipe to test out. Naturally, I hopped on over to Pinterest in search of a sneaky recipe that Landon would actually eat. I settled on a mac and cheese dish and used this recipe as my guide.

Butternut squash has to be one of the most awkward gourds to slice. Is there an easy way? Please share if you know! After I sliced it, it simmers in a pot with milk, broth, and spices. Then, toss it in a blender, add some shredded cheeses, a dash of greek yogurt, blend, and toss it in the oven. The result was a delicious dish that even Landon ate. Ok, fine, he was hesitant, but he ate more dinner than normal. Ask any mom of a picky eater and that's in WIN in our book!

Sneaky Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Toddler Edition

lifeasakoenig.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed butternut squash
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp italian spices (I used a mix of oregano and basil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp greek yogurt, plain
1/2 cup shredded Havarti cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup parmesan
2 cups uncooked pasta

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray (I used a 9x9).

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add squash, broth, milk, spices, and garlic. Bring mixture to a low boil, then simmer about 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from heat.

Place squash with liquid into a blender and puree until smooth. Add yogurt and cheeses, puree to combine. Set aside.

Cook pasta as directed, stopping just before pasta is fully cooked. Remove from heat and drain.

Combine pasta, squash, and diced onion in the prepared dish. For extremely picky eaters, leave out the onion (I had to go back and hand pick out all the onions before Landon would touch it). Sprinkle parmesan on top.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, mine was pretty firm and had minimal liquid. Adjust your baking time depending on your preferences. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes.