Our dear friend Katelyn always brings mac and cheese to every friendsgiving/Tarynsgiving we have had over the years. It is really good, but really sneaky…because it is made with squash!! Of course there is a TON of cheese in it as well, but as someone who doesn’t love butternut squash, I was surprised at how good it was! This year, since we are not able to have friendsgivings or even a full family Thanksgiving, Caleb and I are celebrating Tarynsgiving with a new take on Katelyn’s mac and cheese. We added turkey burger to make it more of a main dish, and added some more spice!
Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 10 oz packages of winter or butternut squash
2 cups 1% milk
6 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2-3 oz monterrey jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons dark mustard
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb turkey burger
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
Cook turkey burger with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tsp cayenne, and 1 tsp red pepper flakes. Set to the side.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 minutes, then drain.
Puree the squash and add into a large saucepan with milk over medium heat. Cook until mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally.
Take off the heat and add the cheeses. Mix together then add salt, mustard, and cayenne pepper.
Add turkey burger to pasta in a large bowl, then add cheese mixture. Stir all together then put into baking dish.
In a small bowl, add bread crumbs, parmesan and olive oil. Put crumbs over entire baking dish as evenly as you can. Then add a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes!
Enjoy!
P.S. Thank you to Katelyn for being an amazing friend and for being a nurse during this pandemic. You have been a light to so many people during this time and I hope you know how special and important you are!
