Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon

A reader (the lovely Amy from @theBookishCookier) recently asked me if I had the recipe for the Butternut Squash and Mac and Cheese Mollie makes in Deleted. My first reaction was YAY! It makes me so happy when readers notice details like the food in my writing. My next thought was: it’s time I figure out this recipe.

You can almost learn how to make this dish from the scene in Chapter 3.

Mollie’s in the kitchen, gathering ingredients for mac and cheese with butternut squash and bacon. The recipe runs in a small font across the right lens of her Spex…

While Mollie cooks Lucy pours out her heart to her older sister, telling her how she finally spoke with her long-time crush only to make a fool of herself in front of him. After telling her embarrassing story Lucy says:

“Do you ever wish you could edit your life?”

“I can,” answers Mollie.

“Yeah, I know all your self-improvement mumbo jumbo. Anyone can change a habit, paint a room or sew. new curtain. Lucy points to the navy-checked flounce above the kitchen window. Mollie sewed this as well as the rest of the curtains in the house.

“I don’t mean self-improvement,” says Mollie as she stirs shredded cheese in the white sauce. “I mean like delete a memory.”

It makes sense that there would be mac and cheese in my first published book. Growing up homemade mac and cheese was my favorite meal. It is what I would ask for my birthday every year. The recipe is permanently inscribed in my heart (probably the cholesterol too). I can whip up batches of it without a thought. As I’ve grown older I’ve found myself wanting more complex flavors and more vegetables. Hence, the addition of onions, bacon and butternut squash.

I make this dish often but I have never written it down. Partly because I make it slightly different each time. Sometimes I make this dish to use up leftover cheese. I always use at least two cheeses usually sharp cheddar and parmesan. But I have also added gruyere, mozzarella, feta, and blue cheese with delicious results (but never all of those at the same time.)

If I only have a couple slices of bacon I use it just for garnish. If I’m making this meal for vegetarians, I skip the bacon. You get the idea, this is a very flexible, forgiving recipe. So please take this recipe as a guideline and make it your own.

Because the method for making the white sauce is a bit unusual, I decided to give you some general instructions with photos. You can find the full recipe at the end. I personally hate how food blogs give so much instruction before sharing the actual recipe. I swore I’d never do that. But here we are. :)

First. cook the onions and squash in the butter. Cook until the squash is tender and the onions are translucent, even a little brown at the edges. The vegetables should be about the consistency of a chunky apple sauce.

To make the white sauce sprinkle the flour on the veggies and mix evenly. Next, gradually add milk stirring constantly. When the sauce thickens add most of the cheese.

After that combine the cheesy squash sauce with the pasta and bacon.

Put it all in a casserole dish and garnish with cheese and bacon. And then bake.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Bacon

4 cups of butternut squash chopped in 1/2 inch cubes. (the yield of one squash.)

1 onion diced

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup flour

4 cups milk

3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1 pound pasta (rigatoni, penne, cavatappi or elbow macaroni) cooked al dente

4-6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled

STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 375º

2. In a wide saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and butternut squash. Cook until onions are translucent and squash soft.

3. Sprinkle flour over the cooked onions and squash. Stir with a wooden spoon to evenly coat the vegetables with flour.

4. Slowly stir in milk. Keep stirring as the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add parmesan cheese and 2-3 cups cheddar. Stir in until melted.

6. Combine cheesy squash sauce with pasta.

7. Mix in 2/3 of the bacon

8. Pour mixture in a greased 9x13 casserole dish.

9.. Garnish top with remaining cheese and bacon

10. Bake until cheese is bubbling. about 30 minutes.