The New Ninja Purchase - Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

It's been awhile since I've posted, and even longer sinceI've posted a really good recipe for the "Kitchen Delights" section of this blog.
If you've seen some of my posts within Kitchen Delights, you know I'm a fan of Ninja Kitchen Systems. I am not paid to promote anything, I just post things that are fun and delicious.

My daughter and I have been trying various spiralizing recipes.  On a whim, during vacation, we decided to purchase the Veggie Bullet Spiralizer. She loves it, but I like theNinja spiralizer better because it is smaller, I'm familiar with the brand, have had great luck and good customer service with all that I've purchased.


I've never made anything with butternut squash before. I like it when my moms make it, but the squash itself intimidated me. The shell was so hard, it just didn't seem like something worth the time to prepare and wondering if my family would like it.
Because the recipe looked so good, I bit the bullet and did what I needed to make this recipe.  So here we go:

I cut and cleaned the "guts"  out of the squash and peeled the hard outside layer off the squash.

Cut them into smaller pieces to fit into the spiralizer.

Put all the spiralized pieces on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil. Drizzle this with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes on 375 degrees.  

While the squash was baking, I  heated 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet. Sauté garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bread crumbs and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly until crumbs are golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and add Parmesan; set aside.

Next: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, half & half, mustard, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, whisking frequently, until thick and smooth.

Remove mixture from heat and add Gruyère and cheddar cheeses. Stir until melted. Stir sauce with squash noodles and pour into a 3-quart baking dish. Top with the bread crumb topping.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and browned on top

We served this with a salad and a grilled pork tenderloin. A wonderful meal for family and friends.

Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, bulb end removed, trimmed to 3-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled, minced
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups half & half
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated 1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Position the Spaghetti Blade onto assembled Collecting Bowl and assemble Feed Chute Lid. Place squash into feed chute; secure on Blade Disc pin. Firmly secure Food Pusher in squash. Select START/STOP; process squash.
3.  Place the squash noodles on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Gently toss to coat. Bake 5 to 7 minutes.
4.  Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet. Sauté garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bread crumbs and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly until crumbs are golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and add Parmesan; set aside.
5.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, half & half, mustard, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to medium and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, whisking frequently, until thick and smooth.
6.  Remove mixture from heat and add Gruyère and cheddar cheeses. Stir until melted. Stir sauce with squash noodles and pour into a 3-quart baking dish. Top with the breadcrumb topping.
7.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and browned on top.

Lessons learned:
1.Most kids don't understand the concept of substituting healthy vegetables for pasta. Although our one 'kid" liked the dish, he said, "it is not nearly anything like real macaroni and cheese."
2. The recipe had really good flavor. I did not like the leftovers as much as my husband did.
3. Gruyere cheese is expensive! What can I use as a substitute?
4. This was the first time I've made this recipe. The squash "noodles" should have been roasted a little bit longer.

I'd love to know if you have a favorite spiralizer recipe. Comment below if you would like to share.

Happy and healthy New Year to All.