Receta Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Sausage, Spinach & Caramelized Onions
Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Sausage, Spinach, & Caramelized Onions is an absolute perfect comfort food! A little sweet, a little heat, some good cheese and pasta and I am good to go! How about you?
I made this amazing recipe while Grumpy was out in the woods bow hunting. I knew that he was going to love it too when I saw how creamy and cheesy it was. As a matter of fact, he loved it so much, I wasn't sure I would have any leftovers for lunch the next day!
If your like me and you love that sweet heat, then you too will love this recipe. I'm so in love with the sweetness of butternut squash that adding some hot sausage to it just seemed natural to me. You have your protien, calcium, and carbohydrates all in one dish.
Last year I made a lasagna with butternut squash and caramelized onions and that is what gave me the idea that I should make this mac and cheese. I took that recipe and changed it up a bit to make this macaroni and cheese. I hope you will give it a try!
Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese with Caramelized Onions & Spinach
Published 10/23/2014
Sweet butternut squash, spicy hot italian sausage in a creamy cheese sauce with pasta!
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash, cubed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1/2 clove Frieda's elephant garlic (or 4 cloves regular garlic), chopped fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- cooking spray
- 1 medium onion, vertically sliced
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2-1/2 cups almond milk
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 2-1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 8 ounces colby cheese, shredded
- 1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
- 1 lb uncooked pasta, cooked according to directions (I used cavatapi)
- 1 lb hot italian sausage, crumbled and cooked
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.Combine squash, 1/2 tablespoon oil, sage, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange squash mixture on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until squash is tender. While squash is roasting, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to stock pot.
Heat remaining oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; continue cooking for 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Place onion in a bowl.
Heat 2 1/2 cups milk, and thyme in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard thyme. Return pan to medium heat. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl. Add to pan, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in teaspoon salt, cheese, and nutmeg.
Add spinach and hot sausage to cooked pasta. Pour cheese sauce over top of pasta mixture and stir to coat.
Place pasta in a large casserole and sprinkle with Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 30 mins.