Winter Macaroni Cheese – I absolutely love macaroni cheese!
But my winter macaroni cheese is something else! That’s because I add butternut squash for that extra bite and flavour.
I sometimes add peas as well! That’s because I have a bit of a love of peas!
This is one of my favourite dishes at Christmas time, you know that feeling, after Christmas Day when you know you’re a bit peckish but you can’t eat anymore big festive dinners!
A couple of spoonfuls of this delicious, comforting winter macaroni cheese in a bowl, because if you’re like me, everything tastes better in a bowl and you’ve filled that hole in your tummy!
This recipe serves 4-6 people
Winter Macaroni Cheese Ingredients
- 500g of butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into good sized chunks
- 1 clove of garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 225g dry macaroni
- 40g butter
- 40g plain flour
- 600ml semi-skimmed milk
- 175g mature cheddar cheese (I like really strong mature cheese for mine)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C/GM 5.
- Put the squash in a roasting tin and scatter over the garlic and sage.
- Drizzle over the olive oil.
- Roast for 30 minutes until tender and golden.
- Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
- Drain well and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and then stir in the flour.
- Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk to from a sauce.
- Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly until it comes to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for two minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in two-thirds of the grated cheese.
- Preheat the grill to high.
- Stir the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce.
- Then carefully fold in the roasted squash.
- Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof dish and scatter over the rest of the grated cheese.
- Grill for 3-5 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
Serve in a bowl, or for a more substantial meal, I like to serve mine with meat free sausages.
For something that little bit different that’s tasty and comforting, try my winter macaroni cheese, perfect for vegetarians or meat eaters alike.
