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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
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Servings: 4

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese with Rice Cracker Topping

This butternut squash mac and cheese is packed with many layers of flavor. There’s sharp white cheddar and subtle sweet notes from butternut squash purée, which are rounded out by the rich umami flavor of white miso. The mac and cheese is topped with rice cracker crumbs to give the dish a delightful crunch.
I baked the mac and cheese in a deep 9-inch pie dish. A square baking dish or baking pan will work, too. This recipe serves 3 to 4. If you’re serving 4, think of the mac and cheese as a small side dish. You can also double the recipe and bake the mac and cheese inside a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes

Ingredients

Rice Cracker Bread Crumbs

  • 3/4 cup (45g) rice crackers with seaweed, (see note 1)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Mac & Cheese

  • 8 ounces (227g) large shell pasta, or use a pasta of your choice
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (237ml) low-fat or part-skim milk
  • 1 tablespoon white miso, (see note 2)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup butternut squash puree, can sub with pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup (70g) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup (70g) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • olive oil for greasing pie dish

Instructions

  • Pour the rice crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Blend the crackers at 2 to 3 second intervals, until most of the crackers have broken down into crumbs or small chunks no larger than 1/4-inch wide (see photo below). I blended the crackers for about 9 seconds total. This should yield about 1/2 cup of crumbs (see note 3). If there’s 1 or 2 rice crackers that haven’t broken down properly, crush them with a kitchen mallet or eat them. Transfer the rice cracker crumbs to a bowl.
    Rice Crackers in Food Processor
  • Melt the butter in a microwave or in a saucepan over the stove. Pour the melted butter over the rice cracker crumbs and use your fingers to work the butter into the crumbs. You can also use a spoon or spatula if the butter is too hot. Set aside.
    Buttered Rice Cracker Crumbs
  • Slide an oven rack into the center position, and preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Grease a 9-inch pie dish (or square pan) with olive oil. Set aside.
  • Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the large shell pasta over medium-high heat for 11 minutes. If you are using pasta of another shape, check the package for cooking times. Drain the pasta into a colander and rinse under cold water. Let the pasta finish draining as you prepare the cheese sauce.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan or small pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk into the butter immediately, until a soft paste (or roux) forms. Let the paste cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute more, until it starts to bubble. Pour about 1/4 cup of milk and whisk it with the roux, until a thicker paste forms. Then pour the remainder of the milk.
    Making Roux
  • Once the milk begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for another minute. Add the miso, oregano, thyme, black pepper, and salt and stir.
  • Add the butternut squash puree and mix until incorporated. Set aside a 1/4 cup each of the mozzarella cheese and white cheddar for topping the mac and cheese. Mix the remaining cheese with the butternut squash sauce. Turn off the heat.
  • Stir in the cooked pasta until the pasta is coated with the butternut squash cheese sauce.
    Adding Pasta
  • Transfer the mac and cheese into the greased pie dish. Top with the reserved mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Spread the buttered rice cracker crumbs over the mac and cheese.
    Adding Topping
  • Bake the mac and cheese for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese around the edges of the pie dish is golden and bubbling.
    Baked Mac and Cheese
  • Use oven mitts to take the pie dish out the oven and serve immediately. Serve the mac and cheese with a side of vegetables, like roasted asparagus.

Notes

  1. Rice Crackers: I like to use J-Basket’s seaweed-wrapped rice crackers because they are very crunchy and well seasoned. You can also use the teardrop-shaped rice crackers instead. I tried using Bin Bin Rice Crackers, but the flavor of the crackers was too mild and the crunch did not hold up.
  2. Miso Paste: Instead of relying on salt and cheese to deliver savory flavor, I added white miso to give the dish a layer of umami flavor. If you don’t have any miso on hand, simply leave it out.
  3. Breaking Down Rice Crackers: For this recipe don’t blend all the crackers into a fine powder. You want there to be slightly large pieces so that you can detect the crunch of the rice crackers against the mac and cheese.
  4. Gluten-Free Version: You can use gluten-free pasta and substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/4 of pie dish) | Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 63.5g | Protein: 20.2g | Fat: 20.2g | Saturated Fat: 10.4g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 648mg | Fiber: 3.5g | Sugar: 7.4g
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Cuisine: Vegetarian
Category: dinner