There’s nothing like taking a classic recipe that is the cornerstone of all comfort food, Macaroni & Cheese, and making it even more delicious and healthier by slashing the carbs a bit and including more vegetable into your daily meal.

The Champion Juicer, the American made kitchen classic celebrating its 60th year this summer, sent us a fantastic easy twist on the “mac n’ cheese” everyone loves. You need to swap out the juice plate with the solid plate so the auger mills the squash into a smooth puree.  They even make a special tomato plate for those home gardeners who have a bumper crop of tomatoes to puree!

Make sure to enter their contest to win a new juicer

This is a perfect “meatless Monday” swap for those looking to reduce meat consumption and is a crowd pleaser too.  The recipe is an original courtesy of Champion Juicer:

Baked Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Yield: Serves 10 (serving size: 1 ½ cups)

Ingredients:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 4 cups (about 20 ounces) cubed peeled butternut squash
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• ½ diced large onion
• ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup fat-free milk
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• ¼ cup low-fat sour cream
• 5 ounces grated Gruyere
• 5 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar
• 1 ounce grated Parmesan, divided
• 2 Tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place squash on a non-stick pan coated with cooking spray. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 minutes, turning twice, until tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool; reduce heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Saute onions over medium-high heat in vegetable broth until onions are translucent and most of liquid is absorbed; set aside to cool.
4. Toss squash with nutmeg. Using the blank screen and funnel on the juicer, homogenize the squash. Mix puree with milk, then homogenize again.
5. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well and do not rinse. In a large bowl, combine pasta with squash mixture, sour cream, Gruyere, cheddar and 2 Tablespoons Parmesan. Evenly distribute mixture into a 13-by-9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish coated with cooking oil.
6. Combine remaining Parmesan with breadcrumbs, rosemary, salt and pepper; evenly distribute over top of casserole.
7. Cook for about 20 minutes, until top begins to slightly brown.

Original Post – http://www.monstersandcritics.com/foodie-crush-butternut-squash-macaroni-cheese/