This roasted butternut squash mac and cheese is creamy, cheesy, and topped with toasted breadcrumbs! It's made with roasted butternut squash, fresh sage, and a mixture of cheeses for the perfect cozy fall meal!
It has as a similar flavor to the frozen Trader Joe's butternut squash mac and cheese, but the homemade version is 1000x's better! [But I still love the frozen version in a pinch!]
You might also like this pumpkin mac and cheese or this butternut squash orzo!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this creamy butternut squash mac and cheese!
Pasta - You can use any noodles you prefer for this mac and cheese! Classic macaroni noodles, large shells, etc. I personally love this lumaconi pasta because they hold a ton of cheese sauce! Make sure you undercook the pasta slightly (1-2 minutes less than box instructions) so that it doesn't get overcooked once it's added to the cheese sauce!
Butternut Squash - You need a small squash between 1 ½ to 2 pounds for this mac and cheese. You can also substitute a different winter squash (like acorn squash or honeynut squash or pumpkin) if you prefer!
Whole Milk - For an even richer, creamier sauce, I like to use half & half instead of milk!
Cheese - I use a combination of cheddar, gouda, and gruyere, but you can use just 1 type if you prefer! Just make sure you have a total of 12 ounces of cheese. I recommend buying blocks of cheese and shredding it yourself! Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that keep it from clumping together in the bag, which also means it doesn't melt as smoothly in the sauce. It's always worth it to take a couple extra minutes to shred your own cheese!
Fresh Herbs - I like to use both fresh sage and fresh thyme, but you can leave them out if you prefer.
Nutmeg - Butternut squash and nutmeg is one of my favorite flavor combinations that adds a warming flavor to the mac and cheese.
Cayenne - I love adding just a little cayenne for some heat, but you can leave it out if desired.
Panko Breadcrumbs - The toasted breadcrumbs are the best part of this dish! You can also use regular breadcrumbs or make your own.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Toasted Breadcrumbs
In a small pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add in the breadcrumbs and fresh sage and stir gently until they turn golden brown in color, about 3-5 minutes. Immediately transfer to a separate bowl so that they don't burn. Salt to taste then set aside.
How to Make Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the butternut squash in half and discard the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place cut side down on your baking sheet.
Bake the squash for 40-50 minutes or until soft and easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Then scoop the flesh out of the skin and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add in ½ cup of the milk and puree until smooth (I recommend opening the cap of the blender and covering with a paper towel so that steam can escape).
Cook pasta according to package directions (I recommend cooking 1-2 minutes less than the box time so it's slightly al dente). Drain the pasta and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until aromatic.
Then add in the flour and stir to combine. Allow the flour to cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the whole milk.
Add in the butternut squash puree, salt, nutmeg, cayenne, sage, and thyme and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Once the sauce has thickened, add in the shredded cheeses stir until the cheese has fully melted into the sauce.
Add in the cooked pasta and stir to coat with the cheese sauce. Let cook over low heat for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Garnish the butternut squash mac and cheese with toasted breadcrumbs if desired.
Recipe FAQ's
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I like to gently reheat homemade mac and cheese on the stove with an extra splash of milk or cream to help rehydrate the pasta.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers.
Also be sure to add us as a trusted site on Google so that our recipes show up more in your searches!
For more delicious, scratch-made recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on social media!
Recipe Card
Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Squash
- 1 small butternut squash, 1 ½ to 2 pounds
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Toasted Breadcrumbs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
Mac & Cheese
- 16 ounces short pasta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, optional
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, optional
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces gouda cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
Instructions
Toasted Breadcrumbs
- In a small pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add in the breadcrumbs and fresh sage and stir gently until they turn golden brown in color, about 3-5 minutes.
- Immediately transfer to a separate bowl so that they don't burn. Salt to taste then set aside.
Roasted Squash
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the butternut squash in half and discard the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place cut side down on your baking sheet.
- Bake the squash for 40-50 minutes or until soft and easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Then scoop the flesh out of the skin and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add in ½ cup of the milk and puree until smooth (I recommend opening the cap of the blender and covering with a paper towel so that steam can escape).
Mac & Cheese
- Cook pasta according to package directions (I recommend cooking 1-2 minutes less than the box time so it's slightly al dente). Drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until aromatic.
- Then add in the flour and stir to combine. Allow the flour to cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the remaining whole milk.
- Add in the butternut squash puree, salt, nutmeg, cayenne, sage, and thyme and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Once the sauce has thickened, add in the shredded cheeses stir until the cheese has fully melted into the sauce.
- Add in the cooked pasta and stir to coat with the cheese sauce. Let cook over low heat for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Garnish the butternut squash mac and cheese with toasted breadcrumbs if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Toria says
Thank you so much. I made this for New Years Eve and the sauce was beautiful. I actually used whole wheat pasta spirals with them and it was good. I will say though it was a bit too gourmet for the a couple of the kids (possibly due to the whole wheat pasta). I also used only sharp cheddar as I had a block that I needed to use up. I would recommend it for adults but have something else for children. (Although one 6 year old loved it). Oh, I also used whole wheat bread that I chopped in the processor for the breadcrumbs. they were delicious but because it was bakery stale bread, they didn't come out crispy. I'll have to work on making crispy croutons from scratch but that's my fault (not the fault of the recipe!)
Jess says
This was the hit at my church potluck yesterday!! Everyone was asking for the recipe. Thank you for sharing, I will be making again!!!!
Caroline says
Hi!! This is amazing!!! So yummy and delicious! So good I've asked to make it for Thanksgiving, but I'm also making several other things. Is there anything I can do in advance to save some time or best to do everything day of?
Kyleigh Sage says
You can make it a day in advance, but the noodles will absorb a lot of the sauce and it will dry out a bit. So I’d reheat it on the stove with some extra milk or cream (and maybe a little extra cheese too) so it gets nice and creamy again.
Or what would work best, is fully making the sauce ahead of time and storing in the fridge. Then day of you can cook the noodles and reheat the sauce on the stove before combining!
Also the breadcrumbs can easily be prepped in advance and stored at room temp - no need to reheat those.