Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash 25-Oct-2015

I made this one afternoon, and the dish lasted two of us for several meals, and kept getting better and better. Definitely recommended with more bacon.

Ingredients

• 12 to 16 oz. dried rigatoni
• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks (3 1/2 c.)
• 2 3/4 c. (1 percent) milk, divided
• 1/4 c. flour
• 8 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (2 c.), divided
• 4 slices thick bacon
• 2 small sweet onions, cut into chunks
• 3 slices firm 100 percent whole wheat or multigrain bread
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• Fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Lightly butter a 3-quart au gratin or baking dish; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; transfer to a large bowl.

• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine the squash and 2 1/2 cups milk over medium-high heat. Bring to boiling; reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour; stir into squash mixture. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Gouda until melted; keep warm.

• Meanwhile, in a very large skillet cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Return skillet to the heat.

• Add onions to skillet; cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and increase heat to high. Cook 4 to 6 minutes more, stirring, until onions are golden.

• Add squash-cheese mixture, onions and bacon to the bowl with the pasta. Toss well to combine, then transfer to prepared baking dish.

• Place bread in a food processor and pulse with 2 or 3 on/off turns to form large coarse crumbs (you should have about 2 cups). Transfer to a small bowl; mix with melted butter. Sprinkle remaining Gouda and the breadcrumbs over pasta mixture. Bake until top is browned, about 14 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes

This recipe uses a lot of pots and pans and the prep took a fair bit of time. Still, worth it, it makes a whack-load of casseroule.