How good does this look?
I really can’t get over how good this is. I just had a bowlful but I’m seriously contemplating another. I might wait till dinner time, but I’m having more of this today 😀 The creamy, smooth butternut squash is just perfect in this. It’s just a teeny tiny bit sweet from the squash, and of course a little spicy from the peppers and toasty from the cheese on top. Perfection!
I mean just check it out…
Oh yes! This stuff is awesome. Of course, cooking up some butternut squash is not hard to do. I usually do a few at at time so I can puree it and freeze it for times like this. Just take the stem off your squash, chop it in half with a big sharp knife, scoop out the seeds and place it cut side down in a baking pan filled 1/2″ with water and bake at 350 till the squash is tender or easily poked through the skin with a knife or fork.
Surprisingly enough my kids actually enjoyed this. I thought I’d have this all to myself but after letting my kids try it they both wanted some! Oh well, I don’t mind sharing. If your jalapenos are especially spicy, your kiddos might not enjoy it as much, but that’s OK too right? 😉
Speaking of kiddos, I fully expected to be able to post this yesterday but my little one got sick and we spent most of the morning at the hospital just getting checked out. Poor little thing. She’s fine and will get better over the next week, but lots of cuddles were in order yesterday 🙂
I can already tell you my New Years resolution for the blog(and since I don’t really do the whole resolution thing, it’s really just my goal) is to schedule my posts ahead of time. I usually have everything ready to go at least a few days in advance but then I write it before I post, but that needs to change. I feel so disorganized doing things this way! If you’re a blogger, how do you do things?
For now, I hope you enjoy this wonderful mac and cheese! And have a great weekend!
Jalapeno Butternut Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 large jalapenos stem and seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp whole wheat flour or all purpose
- 1 C milk
- 1 C butternut squash puree
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 10 oz aged cheddar cheese grated or thinly sliced plus more for topping if desired
- 1 375 g box whole grain macaroni
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the instructions found on the box.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan. Add the finely chopped jalapenos and cook until as tender as desired, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix until completely combined. Cook for another minute before whisking in the milk. Bring up to a boil or until the milk has thickened.
- Stir in the butternut squash puree and bring back up to temperature.
- Once the mixture is hot, turn the heat down to low and add the salt and cheese. Stir until completely melted then remove from the heat.
- Stir in the macaroni and serve as is, or place in individual sized dishes(or one large dish) top with extra grated cheese and a sprinkle of chopped or sliced jalapenos for some extra heat and broil until golden. Enjoy!
Even the outtakes looked good 😀
Comments & Reviews
Heather says
WOW this looks so good, I am a sucker for anything sweet and spicy – I could eat this by the truckload!
I like to have all my posts scheduled a week out so for example I have 2 posts completely finished for next week and will work on the following week this weekend – that way 9 times out of 10 I am always ahead 1 week…..however I am trying to find that balance thing I talked about and not get so worked up and stressed if I miss a week, I am going with the flow BUT like to have my posts done in advance and scheduled ahead of time 🙂
Cathy @ Noble Pig says
What a fun twist on mac n’ cheese…love the jalapeno too!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
I ADORE macaroni and cheese and love trying out different flavors and add-ins. The jalapenos in here look delicious – I bet they give a great kick to this dish. Mac n’ cheese is the ultimate comfort food. I just made my Mexican macaroni and cheese for dinner last night – we love it!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Oh my gosh, yes! I love a little spicy kick in my mac & cheese. Now that I’ve finally tried pumpkin mac, I need to try making it with butternut squash!
Ker says
Hi there! Just found your blog! It’s so funny, because I literally just posted about going on a brief hiatus from recipe posts so that I can build up a few weeks worth of posts! I post about other stuff, too, so I will still be updating, but I want to have posts to fall back on. Love your blog!
Kathryn says
This really does look delicious! I love spicy mac and cheese and this is even better with the butternut squash!
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
i’ve been meaning to make a butternut squash mac and cheese for some time now – and this is just the recipe I need! It looks SO perfect and I adore the spicy kick from the jalapeño’s addition. Adding this to my dinner list!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Thanks Sally! Let me know if you get a chance to try it out – I’d love to hear what you think 🙂 The butternut squash is soooo good in it and pumpkin is yummy too if you don’t have any.
The Café Sucré Farine says
Looks and sounds fantastic Heidi! This combination of flavors must be amazing! I think you do very well at blogging and can’t believe you do it at all with a little one. They definitely must take priority and you’ll have plenty of time later to be more organized with the blog, enjoy your baby now!
Julia says
This looks so yummy! The ultimate comfort food for sure!!
Ari @ Ari's Menu says
It looks like you have a few bowls of it….I’ll just be over for dinner tonight, k? 😉
Sonia! The Healthy Foodie says
This looks extremely moreish! LOVE the addition of jalapeno peppers. Now you just give me a serious craving. I’m afraid something similar is gonna have to happen for me this week. More carbs! I’ve been on a carb overload since December started. Oh well… I’ll make amends in January!
Hope the kiddo is feeling better now… It’s never fun when our kids aren’t feeling well. No matter how old they are!
And disorganized blogger? I sooooo totally hear you! I don’t think anyone can be as disorganized as I am. I wish I has *some* stuff ready in advance, but unfortunately, that’s never the case. Maybe I should take the same resolution for the New Year! Obviously, just going with the flow just doesn’t cut it anymore… Scheduling posts sounds like a good idea!