Squash or Pumpkin?  Both work equally well in this delightful recipe.  Who can’t go wrong with this awesome comfort food?  Serve this with on a chilly day with a light side dish of greens, a glass of wine and crusty bread and you’ve got it made.  Offer it as a side dish along side your favourite roast of beef.  Any way you choose, this recipe is full of great stick-to-your-ribs nutrition and sweet a smooth flavour.

OVEN ROASTED SQUASH MAC ‘N’ CHEESE

I usually use Butternut squash as it is the most smooth-textured and mild-tasting squash and have now started preparing it with the skin on which adds a bit of a fleck and texture to the purée and another layer of flavour.  Play with a variety of squash to discover the different levels of flavour they produce.  Hubbard squash has a robust and amazing flavour, while Acorn squash is the mildest, yet most textured variety.

• 3 cups macaroni or other pasta
• 2 cups rice milk or other milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp spelt flour or regular flour
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup light or regular cream cheese
• 1 cup roasted squash any variety or pumpkin pureed or canned pumpkin
• 2 cups grated old white cheddar cheese

Butter a large baking dish.  In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to the package until just al dente.  In a medium pot over medium heat, bring milk and salt to a gentle boil, whisk in the flour and mustard and reduce the heat to simmer and whisk for 2 minutes.  Add cream cheese, the puree and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese and continue to cook, stirring until sauce is thick and smooth, about 4 minutes.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Pour sauce over and continue.  Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Enjoy

I think a sprinkle of buttered breadcrumbs or panko would be a nice added crunch to this recipe.