Macaroni and Cheese (With Butternut Squash or Cauliflower)

Submitted by Karen in CT

"Created by Jessica Seinfeld From the book Deceptively Delicious Jessica says, " I leave a box of store-bought macaroni and cheese out on the counter and the kids naturally assume ...""

 

• Ready In: 10mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups elbow macaroni
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup nonfat milk (skim)
• 1⁄2 cup butternut squash or 1/2 cup cauliflower, puree
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
2. While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.
3. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned (1-2 minutes).
4. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken (3 to 4 minutes).
5. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.

Reviews

[Shesamazingnyc]

Meh. I really wanted to love this, but it was very bland. Even though I tried to perk it up with a Tbsp of grainy mustard and 2 Tbsp of white miso and onion powder, the cauliflower sucked the zestiness out of the nice sharp cheddar I used. My kids don't know about the blue box mac 'n cheese, so it wasn't that they were used to that. I don't know. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't make it again. We all agreed that we'd rather eat the cauliflower on the side. Sorry!

 

[jswinks]

This was tasty and easy to make. My 3 and 5 year olds didn't like it much though, definitely not the "mac and cheese" they're used to! After a few tries, they did take some bites though once they got used to the flavor. It has almost a parmesean flavor to it even though there isn't any in it. my husband and I liked it. Not a smooth texture, but a little thicker even after adding extra milk. I used about 3/4 c. cauliflower, and did half cream cheese and half american cheese, plus the cheddar. Also added some worchestershire sauce. All in all a good, hearty dish, and I love that it has hidden veggies!

 

[kpfen]

Well if you have never fed your kids the macaroni and cheese from a box then perhaps you could set a box out and fool them but this recipe did not look like the boxed variety to my picky eaters. "It's not ORANGE enough!" "I like the powder cheese better." Having said that though all three of mine (age 6, 4, and 1) ate it fine and even had seconds while complaining that it wasn't what they wanted. I tried it as well and liked the taste. I could not taste the cauliflower and neither could my kids. My only complaint is that the sauce was a little thick and sticky but it could be that I cooked it too long as I used frozen pureed cauliflower (6 cubes) and frozen cheddar cheese. Next time I will try defrosting these two ingredients first. Next time as well I think I will try squash to make it more "ORANGE!"

 

[Liza at Food.com]

I LOVED this! I saw her on Oprah and thought, well, why didn't I write that book? Couldn't wait to try it on my kids and was so pleased to see this recipe come in. I thought the taste was absolutely yummy! Can't even taste the squash and the cream cheese gives it such a creamy tang. I did use butter instead of oil, just couldn't start a mac n cheese without butter. Could try this as a baked casserole too, could be good? My 4 yr old said she didn't like it, but my 2 yr old cleaned his bowl! I have more purees made up in my freezer and will try to sneak them in wherever I can. Lord knows we could all use more veggies in anything we eat. Thanks for posting!