Butternut squash and kale mac ’n’ cheese recipe
Add this mac 'n' cheese recipe to your midweek meal repertoire. It's studded with roasted butternut chunks, coated in a gloriously silky sauce that's got creamy soft cheese stirred through it and extra dollops on top for the ultimate comfort food dish. Dig in!
See method- Serves 4
- 20 mins to prepare and 55 mins to cook
- 854 calories / serving
Ingredients
- 500g pack butternut squash (or ½ an average-sized butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100g curly kale
- 350g pasta shapes (we used fusilli)
For the cheese sauce
- 40g butter
- 50g flour
- 450ml skimmed milk
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- 120g soft cheese
- 100g extra-mature Cheddar, grated
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 20g Parmesan, finely grated
- green salad, to serve (optional)
Each serving contains
- Energy
- 3590kJ 854.0kcal
- Fat
- 38g
- Saturates
- 19g
- Salt
- 1.5g
- Sugars
- 15g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 98.3gProtein 29.2gFibre 7.5g
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200˚C, fan 180˚C. Spread the squash over a baking tray, drizzle with the oil and season. Roast for 25-35 mins or until cooked through and slightly charred around the edges.
- Remove the kale leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Cut the leaves into 5cm pieces. Bring a large pan of water to boil and cook the pasta for 4 mins less than pack instructions. For the last 2 mins of cooking, add the kale leaves to the pan. Drain, then set aside while you make the sauce.
- For the cheese sauce, make a roux. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisking continuously, mix in the milk. Stir over a medium heat until thickened. Remove and stir in the nutmeg, most of the soft cheese (reserving a few teaspoons for topping), the Cheddar and lemon zest and juice. Season well to taste.
- In a large bowl, gently toss the pasta and kale with the roasted butternut, white sauce and pine nuts. Spoon into an ovenproof dish and top with the Parmesan and a few teaspoons of soft cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until heated through. Serve with a green salad, if you like.
- See more Pasta recipes
