Baked Butternut Squash Casserole

It's like putting a piece of fall onto your plate. Smells like fall. Tastes like fall. Mmmmm...comfort food. It's amazing.

Really, it's just mac n'cheese. Yes, with real cheeeeeze. And mac. But when you add in the roasted butternut squash, you really up the nutritional value and the creamy factor. It's definitely worth a try.

Butternut Squash Casserole

Your first task is to find two medium sized butternut squash. Fall is a good season to find them in stores. Peeling them will be a chore, but you can handle it. Then cut the fatter section in half and scoop out the seeds. Dice the squash into 1/2 inch pieces. Then dump it all into a roasting pan, douse with olive oil {a couple teaspoons} and sprinkle with salt. Roast in a hot oven [375 degrees] for 30 minutes or so, until tender. Turning them a couple times would be a good idea.

Boil the macaroni noodles for a couple minutes less than you normally would. They'll finish cooking in the oven later. Drain noodles and combine with roasted squash.

Make your cheese sauce! {If you're really talented, you'll have done this while waiting for the noodles and squash....multi-tasking!! woot woot!} Just melt your butter over low heat, whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, then simmer for three or four minutes. Add grated cheese and stir in until melted. Add cheese sauce to noodles and squash, place in a casserole dish and sprinkle with garlic granules, oregano and bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Now you can have fall on a plate [or in a bowl] too. :)

Butternut Squash Casserole

Baked Butternut Squash Casserole
a meshing of several recipes
2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb elbow macaroni [about two cups]
2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
2 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 3/4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

[see procedure as outlined above]