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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

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Sneak some veggies into your kids meal with this delicious Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe. Great for toddlers and baby weaning too!

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

If there’s one thing I love about this time of year it has to be the fact that it’s squash season! So carby and comforting, butternut squash is definitely up there in my top favourite vegetables.

My kids unfortunately are not as big fans of the stuff but I’ve found a way to cleverly sneak it into their diet.

Butternut squash is an excellent source of Vitamin A, vital for healthy skin and eyes. It is also a good source of Vitamin C and fibre too, making it a really great food to include in your family’s diet.

One thing that often puts people off cooking butternut squash is the preparation. Peeling and chopping a squash is hard work but for this recipe I have a super easy method that requires just cutting it once lengthways.

butternut squash mac & cheese stages

Now I know I have called this recipe Mac and Cheese but I haven’t actually used macaroni! I used conchigliette pasta as that was all I had!

My toddler also has a habit of stuffing loads of pasta into his mouth and the small pieces of conchigliette make eating a little easier. Its also a great pasta to use for baby weaning too.

If you try this recipe please do let me know what you think. Or tag me in a picture on Facebook, Twitter or https://www.instagram.com/myfussyeater/. I’d love to see your pictures!

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Sneak some veggies into your kids meal with this delicious Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe. Great for toddlers and baby weaning too! | My Fussy Eater blog

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

★★★★★ 4.7 from 25 reviews
  • Author: Ciara Attwell @ My Fussy Eater
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Meal
  • Cuisine: European
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Description

Sneak some veggies into your kids meal with this delicious Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese recipe. Great for toddlers and baby weaning too!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 200g / 2 cups macaroni or conchigliette pasta
  • 200ml / 7oz whole milk
  • 100g / 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200c / 390f.
  2. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways. Scoop out the seeds and place the two halves of squash flesh side up on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the squash is soft and has fully cooked through.
  3. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
  4. Once the squash has cooked, spoon out the flesh straight into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, cheese and butter and blitz until all the ingredients have combined to a sauce consistency. If it seems too thick then add a little extra milk. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.
  5. Drain the pasta and mix it with the butternut squash sauce.
  6. Serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe made more sauce than I needed for the pasta. It can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen in a container or freezer bag.

Pick Plates For Kids

If you liked this recipe you might like:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRITTERS:

Butternut Squash Fritters

You might also like my recipe for Butternut Squash Fries and Spiced Butternut Squash Soup.

Butternut Squash Fries
spiced butternut squash soup
Butternut Squash & Cheese pinterest pin

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Comments

  2. Rene says

    Unfortunately none of the family members liked it …..me included (and i love butternut). Did everything like in recipe. Thank you for the try anyway

    I have to add. We have never been plain mac and cheese fan so always added vienas ect in it…maybe that is what was lacking…but the pumpkin taste is def still there.

    ★★★

    Reply

  3. Gina says

    This was really good! We’ll see if my 14 month old will eat it, but if not, then I will! I don’t know what the author considers to be a medium butternut squash, but mine took over an hour in the oven to get soft enough to scoop. I used about eight ounces of whole milk and a little more than a cup of cheese. This was enough sauce for a whole pound of small shell pasta. Definitely enjoyable and, honestly, much better than I was expecting it to be!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Gina says

      As I was making this again this week, I realized I really needed to write another review. I initially made it when my son was 14 months old. Not only did he love it then, but he’s now almost four years old and still requests this AT LEAST twice a week. We also now have a 16 month old daughter who loves it as well. I have started mass producing it to keep up with demand! For those interested… I use two very large butternut squashes, two pounds of pasta (sometimes I use protein pasta), two cups whole milk, and about 2.5 cups cheddar cheese. I then portion out into snack size ziploc bags and load into a gallon size freezer bag, and freeze. When the kids want it, I simply take out a bag and microwave. Paired with some fruit and toast, we have a super quick and easy meal. Thank you SO much for this staple!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

  4. San says

    Tried this and its really good. I used cheddar and pecorino and it didn’t even need to be thickened with a white sauce. Kids loved it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. Anonymous says

    Just finished making for my 11 month old. I added 1/2 a roasted sweet potato to this as well. Super delicious, thank you for this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Shae says

    I stumbled upon this recipe while searching for some fun new recipes to try for my toddler. We’re all big mac and cheese fans in this house so I was curious about this right away. I ended up choosing to do some things differently, but I wouldn’t have tried it at all if I hadn’t seen this post!

    I’ve never used butternut squash before and didn’t know what I was looking for when I bought it. I ended up with a pretty big squash, which I peeled, cubed, and cooked in the pressure cooker (1 squash + 1 cup chicken broth for 3 minutes – quick release). I made a cheese sauce with margarine, cheese, and milk, then added the cooked squash to the pot. Then I gave everything a quick stir before using my immersion blender to make it silky smooth. I ended up with the perfect amount of sauce to coat 16 oz of elbow pasta. That’s definitely a good thing because I’m sure I’m going to go back for another bowl! I tried the sauce without any extra seasonings and it was delicious just as it was. It’ll be even better with a little tweaking over time. Little one is with her grandma today, so I won’t know what she thinks of it until this evening, but my partner and I agree that this is something we’re going to want to eat over and over!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Low says

    Wow! Tgis ia lively! Bought a butternut squash fir 49p in aldi so was looking for a recipie for my 3yr okd and 7 month old. This was so easy and a big big hit! 3 yr old had two bowls! Recipie made more than needed today so one portion in fridge for tomorrow and rest in freezer! Thanx for a great recipie!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Carmen Abrahams says

    Hi I’m an always seeking new ideas mom of a four year old fussy eater ,and this dish was welcomed with smiles and a saucy mouth. Thanks. Appreciated.

    Reply

  13. Anonymous says

    Didn’t make a smooth sauce. Good flavour though. I’d use the roasted squash, puree in the processor and add to a cheese rue in future

    ★★★

    Reply

  14. Natalie says

    Super Easy to make but it did not go down with Super Fussy 2yr old. Hubby and I ate it and we have lots of sauce and leftovers which will be great for quick dinners next week. Sadly still unable to find recipie that Super Fussy 2 yr old will eat.

    ★★

    Reply

  15. Jenn says

    Loved this… takes some time but is super easy!! I added a tbsp of mustard to deepen the flavour for mommy and daddy, but our toddler didn’t mind at all! 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Aynslie Kinghorn says

      I made this tonight for my very fussy 5 year old. I was sceptical about the flavour as I am a massive mac and cheese fan. This was absolutely fantastic and so easy to make! I cooked the butternut squash flesh down with some water in the tray as suggested by others. I used a little less milk, 150 ml. And more cheese at 200g. I also added a sprinkle of dry sage before blending the sauce. My kids inhaled it, especially the fussy one! Thank you xx

      Reply

  18. Lauren says

    I’ve made this for my son many times as he loves to eat it and I love cooking such an easy but healthy recipe. To make it even more of a meal I also brown some mince with shredded zucchini and add it to the pasta and sauce.

    Reply

  19. Anne-Marie says

    Lovely tasting recipe and really easy way to get an extra veg into the children!
    As a few other people have said above though, I think the cooking time for the butternut squash is maybe wrong? I had to cook it for nearer to an hour before it was soft and cooked through.
    Will definitely do again though as it was a hit with everybody 🙂

    ★★★★

    Reply

  20. Sarah says

    This was a huge success tonight with my 5 year old who doesn’t like butternut squash! Thank you ????

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  21. Meg says

    I haven’t tried this, but I fully intend on making a lazier version with a can of pumpkin in place of the squash tomorrow. Any reason that wouldn’t turn out well? I realize I’ll probably have to tinker with the rest of the amounts to get it just right because I doubt one can equals a medium squash. But this seems like an amazing recipe 🙂

    Reply

  22. Erica says

    Oh yum! I was looking for things to keep in the freezer and serve as needed. Will be making this sauce! Have you tried it on anything else, like veggies or quinoa…maybe tofu?

    Reply

  23. Carla says

    I made this and once I adjusted the ratios between butternut squash and everything else it was really delicious. I had to double the amount of pasta, milk, and cheese so it would be less like a butternut squash puree and accents of pasta.

    Reply

  24. Rosie says

    Just made this recipe for my 18 month old and it’s gone down a treat! Made loads extra to keep in the freezer, thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  25. Ellen says

    This butternut squash recipe sounds lovely. Do you think it would work with a non dairy milk such as oat milk and a non cow’s milk cheese?

    Reply

  26. Carla Rolfe says

    I just discovered your site (and youtube channel) this morning while looking for heart-healthy alternative dinner side dishes. I found this recipe, and just made the cheese sauce. OH MY GOODNESS it’s fantastic. Hubby and I both love it and the kids are going to as well. (I did bake the squash cut side down for 45 minutes in a bit of water and it came out perfect). Thank you so much for this recipe. Looking forward to trying out more.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  27. Jodi says

    I am so glad that I have found your site! Your recipes are super helpful! I also like to sneak veggies into our dinners 🙂
    Thanks so much.

    Reply

  28. Kayla says

    I made this for my 18 month old. He loved it so much when his bowl was empty he tipped it upside down and tried to lick out all of the sauce. I used Trader Joe’s Organic Quinoa and Brown rice Pasta, for the extra protein and fiber. This is such a great way to get in extra veggies for myself and my son. We are making a double batch today so it last more than one day!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  31. Monica Young says

    I tried the butternut squash according to the recipe, and it was still really unevenly cooked even after cooking it for an hour, and the cut edges were unpleasantly dry. It gave the sauce an unpleasant flavor of undercooked squash. I’ll try baking cut side down in water next time.

    Reply

  32. Crissy says

    This was so good, so glad I made it! My butternut squash, cut in half crosswise and then lengthwise, took about 45 minutes in the oven. I doubled the recipe and we loved it so much! Thanks for the recipe, will definitely make again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Ciara Attwell says

      You can. Pasta can sometimes go a bit funny when its been frozen and reheated so I like to just freeze the sauce and make up a fresh batch of pasta when Im ready to use it!

      Reply

  34. Fiona says

    A tip to get your squash even softer and avoid getting a dry top when roasting is to do the same single cut, but then place cut side down in roasting dish with about 1cm water. Roast for 30/40 mins depending on size and you virtually have instant purée.

    Reply

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