• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Curry Trail

Simple Flavorful Recipes For The Home Cook

  • Recipe Index
  • Side Dish
  • Chicken
  • About Me
Home > Pasta > Creamy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Creamy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Modified: Jan 16, 2025 · Published: Nov 2, 2023

Jump to Recipe Rate this Recipe Print Recipe
mac and cheese with butternut squash

Creamy, healthy butternut squash mac and cheese is cozy, comforting and so much better than regular mac and cheese. You’ll need less than 30 minutes to make this healthy comfort fall favorite food! Kids will LOVE it!

For a meatless meal try this creamy corn pasta. For more mac and cheese version try buffalo chicken mac and cheese.

mac and cheese in butternut squash sauce cooked in pot
Jump to:
  • Why this recipe works
  • Ingredients
  • How to make it
  • Tips to make best mac and cheese
  • Variations of butternut squash mac and cheese
  • How to serve it
  • Storage and reheating
  • Common questions
  • Related butternut squash recipes
  • 📋Creamy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Why this recipe works

  1. Better than regular mac and cheese.
  2. Much healthier than regular pasta, yet so delicious!
  3. Requires minimal ingredients. Most of it is likely in your pantry already.
  4. Need under 30 minutes to make this soul warming comfort dinner.
  5. No compromise on taste whatsoever. It’s rich, creamy, comforting, and ultra delicious!
  6. It’s like best of the two worlds, soup and pasta. This dish reminds me of thick butternut squash soup and cheesy pasta all together in one dish!
  7. The rich and creamy sauce is achieved without any flour or cream in it. Now that’s a winner! (this recipe does not call for making roux. It’s all squash, milk and some cheese)
  8. Best COMFORT food for busy people during blustery cold winter!
  9. The flavors of this pasta are very subtle. Kid approved!
  10. Best way to sneak in veggies into your kid’s diet! Your kids won’t even know there is squash in their pasta.
  11. You have total control to make this healthiest best by using protein pasta (chickpea pasta) and reducing the cheese quantity in the recipe.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need –

  • Butter
  • Sage leaves
  • Shallots
  • Garlic
  • Thyme
  • Salt and ground pepper
  • Butternut squash
  • Shell pasta
  • Vegetable stock
  • Milk
  • Sharp cheddar

All the ingredients’ exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.

all ingredients for butternut squash mac and cheese on white board

Pasta – I used shell pasta for the recipe. It’s best to use pasta shapes that will help it hold the magical cheesy sauce.  Shell pasta, macaroni(elbow pasta), orecchiette, cavatappi, rotini, farfalle, rigatoni or radiatore are best noodle to use for any mac and cheese recipe.

Butternut Squash – we have a helpful guide on how to peel and dice butternut squash. Check it out.

Cheese – Use good quality sharp cheddar. The flavors of sharp cheddar and butternut squash go perfectly together. I used a mix of 1 cup of cheddar cheese and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Stick to sharp cheddar if you don’t want to use a mix of 2 cheeses.

Milk – best use 2% or better 4% milk for extra richness and creaminess.

Vegetable stock – if not vegetarian, consider using chicken stock.

Butter – for healthier option substitute butter with olive oil.

Herbs – Fresh thyme and sage leaves. Optional but highly recommended. As flavors in this pasta are subtle, you want to enhance flavors with the help of herbs.

Season – always season! Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Onion – use yellow or white onion.

Garlic – garlic lover? Use more than mentioned in the recipe. You’ll love its flavors in the pasta.

How to make it

Before you jump into knowing how to make healthy mac and cheese recipe, here’s a useful guide on how to easily peel and dice butternut squash. Check it you.

You can dice raw butternut squash or slice squash into half and roast it in the oven, then scoop the flesh off and use it to make a puree. Canned butternut squash will work too.

Cook Butternut Squash –

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  • Melt butter in a large pot. Add sage leaves and fry for a few seconds until it crisps up. Immediately remove crisped sage leaves from the butter and keep aside until used.
  • Saute onions and minced garlic in butter until onions turn soft and garlic releases its fragrance. Do NOT brown onion or garlic. Cook until just translucent.
  • Add thyme sprigs, salt, and fresh ground pepper to taste to the pot. Give it a mix.
  • Roast diced butternut squash along with onion-garlic and seasoning for a few minutes. This will help the squash caramelize slightly by roasting in butter.
  • Pour the vegetable stock and milk. Stir.
  • Bring it to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover, and cook until squash is tender. About 10 minutes.
step by step picture collage of how to make butternut squash mac and cheese recipe

Cook Pasta –

  • While butternut squash is cooking in a large pot cook pasta in salted boiling water according to packet instructions until al-dente. Don’t overcook pasta.
  • Time it accordingly. Add pasta to boiling water and just when butternut squash sauce is ready.
  • NOTE – reserve 1 to 2 cups of pasta-cooked starchy water.

Blend it –

  • Wait until squash is cooked fork tender.
  • Remember to remove sage stems from the pot and blitz using an immersion blender until the squash turns smooth.

Stir it all together –

  • Turn off heat, add in grated cheese.
  • Stir until the cheese is melted.
  • Add cooked pasta shells into the butternut squash sauce.
  • Gently mix it until the pasta is coated in sauce.
  • Serve immediately warm topped with crispy sage leaves, a sprinkle of ground pepper, and a little grated cheese.
  • Note: as the pasta cools, the sauce will thicken. If you have to thin it down, add a little pasta water at a time until the sauce is at the right consistency. Compared to normal water, pasta water will keep the sauce thick and creamy without diluting it much and losing the flavors (exactly what will happen when normal water is used)
step by step picture collage of how to make butternut squash mac and cheese recipe

Tips to make best mac and cheese

  1. Always cook pasta al-dente.
  2. Shred cheese from the block instead of buying pre-shredded cheese from a bag. Pre-shredded cheese has fillers (non-caking agents) that will prevent the cheese from melting and cause the sauce to turn grainy.
  3. Allow cheese to come to room temperature before starting the recipe to ensure the creamy consistency of the sauce.
  4. Smoked paprika or red chili flakes adds a hint of kick to the dish that is great to balance creaminess and richness of the dish.
  5. After adding pasta is the sauce is thick (note sauce will tend to thicken as it cools) adjust consistency of the sauce by adding pasta cooked water little at a time.

Variations of butternut squash mac and cheese

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese doesn’t need anything else. It’s perfect as it is. But you can customize the recipe according to your preference.

  • Feel free to add proteins like cooked chicken, sausages, or crispy bacon.
  • Vegetables like steamed broccoli, steamed cauliflower, peas, or mushrooms are great too.
  • You can add more herbs as well. Sage, thyme, bay leaves.
  • For a sharp flavor kick, add Dijon mustard.
  • Add nuts or seeds like toasted pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans or pepitas on top.
  • To add a kick to the pasta, add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.

How to serve it

You can serve this mac and cheese as it is or pair it with a salad or bread.

Serve with salad like fresh chopped salad, roasted butternut squash salad or egg salad.

Bread like cheddar drop biscuits, garlic bread, buttermilk cornbread.

Roasted veggies like roasted broccoli, roasted leeks, savory sweet potatoes, roasted parsnips.

Storage and reheating

If you have leftovers store it in airtight containers in refrigerator for 2-3 days. When ready to serve, warm pasta on stove top, add a splash of milk while reheating if pasta sauce it thick.

Common questions

How to make mac and cheese with butternut squash sauce creamier?

Boil diced butternut squash in skim milk and chicken or vegetable stock mix until tender and then tender.

What cheese is best to use for butternut squash mac and cheese?

Use good quality sharp cheddar. The flavors of sharp cheddar and butternut squash go perfectly together. I used a mix of 1 cup of cheddar cheese and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. Stick to sharp cheddar if you don’t want to use a mix of 2 cheeses.

What does adding butternut squash do to pasta?

Best way to sneak veggies into your kid’s diet! Adding squash amps up the flavors of this pasta and gives a creamy sauce base to coat the pasta in.

Can I add protein and vegetables to pasta?

Yes, you can. Feel free to add proteins like cooked chicken, sausages, or crispy bacon.
Vegetables like steamed broccoli, steamed cauliflower, peas, or mushrooms are great too.

creamy butternut mac and cheese in pot with wooden spatula

Related butternut squash recipes

  • hasselback butternut squash drizzled with honey butter sauce and garnished with nuts and herbs

    Best Honey Glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash

  • instant pot butternut squash soup served in 2 black bowl

    Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

  • butternut squash curry in a skillet.

    Easy Thai Butternut Squash Curry

  • roasted butternut squash in white bowl

    Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

  • stuffed butternut squash with quinoa

    Stuffed Butternut Squash

Don’t forget to Subscribe to CurryTrail Recipes below to get our newest recipes delivered straight to your inbox.

If you love this recipe, keep in touch and don’t miss out on any of currytrail recipes. Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

Have you tried any one of my recipes? I’d love to see what you’ve made. Take a picture and use the hashtag #currytrail and share it on Instagram so I can see and share it on my feed.

If you make this creamy butternut squash mac and cheese recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this recipe in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers!

healthy squash mac and cheese with crispy sage leaves in ceramic bowl
creamy butternut mac and cheese in pot with wooden spatula
4.83 from 23 votes

📋Creamy Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Jyothi Rajesh
Creamy, healthy butternut squash mac and cheese is cozy, comforting and so much better than regular mac and cheese. You’ll need less than 30 minutes to make this healthy comfort food! Kids LOVE it!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Entree, Main Course, mains
Cuisine Italian, Pasta
Servings 6 servings
Calories 463

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 10 sage leaves
  • 1 medium shallots or onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 5 thyme sprigs
  • Salt and ground pepper to taste
  • 1 medium 15 oz butternut squash, diced
  • 1 lb shells pasta
  • 1 ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 ½ cup good quality sharp cheddar I used a mix of 1 cup cheddar and ½ cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions
 

Cook Butternut Squash –

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  • Melt butter in a large pot. Add sage leaves and fry for a few seconds until it crisps up. Immediately remove crisped sage leaves from the butter and keep aside until use.
  • Saute onions and minced garlic in butter until onions turn soft and garlic releases its fragrance. Do NOT brown onion or garlic. Cook until just translucent.
    step 2 saute onion, garlic in butter
  • Add thyme sprig, salt, and fresh ground pepper to taste to the pot. Give it a mix.
    step 3 add thyme stems, salt and pepper
  • Roast diced butternut squash along with onion-garlic and seasoning for a few minutes. This will help the squash caramelize slightly by roasting in butter.
    step 4 roast diced butternut squash in the pan
  • Pour the vegetable stock and milk. Stir
    step 5 pour vegetable stock and milk
  • Bring it to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover, and cook until squash is tender. About 10 minutes.
    step 6 cover and simmer until squash if tender

Cook Pasta –

  • While butternut squash is cooking in a large pot cook pasta in salted boiling water according to packet instructions until al-dente. Don’t overcook pasta.
    step 7 cook pasta in salted boiling water to al-dente
  • Time it accordingly. Add pasta to boiling water and just when butternut squash sauce is ready.
  • NOTE – reserve 1 to 2 cups of pasta-cooked starchy water. You’ll need it.

Blend it –

  • Once squash is cooked tender it’s time to blitz.
  • Remember to remove sage stems from the pot before you blend.
    step 8 remove sage stems from pot before blitzing
  • Using immersion blender, blitz until squash turns smooth.
    step 9 blitz squash in creamy smooth mix using immersion blender

Stir It All Together –

  • Turn off the heat, add and grated cheese.
    step 10 simmer heat, add grated cheese
  • Stir until the cheese is melted.
    step 11 mix until cheese melts into smooth creamy sauce
  • Add cooked pasta shells into the butternut squash sauce.
    step 12 add cooked pasta shells
  • Gently mix it until the pasta is coated in sauce.
    step 13 mix it until everything comes together
  • Serve immediately warm topped with crispy sage leaves, sprinkle of ground pepper, and a little grated cheese.
  • Note: as the pasta cools, the sauce will thicken. If you have to thin it down, add a little pasta water at a time until the sauce is at the right consistency. Compared to normal water, pasta water will keep the sauce thick and creamy without diluting it much and losing the flavors (exactly what will happen when normal water is used)

Video

Notes

  • It’s best to use pasta shapes that will help it hold the magical cheesy sauce.  Shell pasta, macaroni(elbow pasta), orecchiette, cavatappi, rotini, farfalle, rigatoni or radiatore are best noodle to use for any mac and cheese recipe.
  • Use good quality sharp cheddar. The flavors of sharp cheddar and butternut squash go perfectly together. I like (used in this recipe) a mix of 1 cup sharp cheddar and ½ cup mozzarella for my pasta. Stick to just cheddar if you don’t want to use a mix of cheeses.
  • Use whole milk (full-fat milk) for better results. Full cream milk makes the sauce richer and creamier. 
  • Sage and thyme are optional.
  • For healthier or vegan options substitute butter with olive oil and use plant-based milk (like almond milk or oats milk).
  • Reserve 1 to 2 cups of pasta cooked water. This starch water will be used to thin down the sauce if it thickens. 
 
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 19gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 467mgPotassium: 272mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 630IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 273mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

Created by Jyothi Rajesh

Thank you for stopping by.

I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.

Pin This Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe
Pin For Later!

More Pasta

  • shell pasta along with peas in a large pot.
    One Pot Creamy Quick Pasta e Piselli (Pasta with Peas)
  • rigatoni pasta in creamy gochujang sauce.
    The Best Creamy Gochujang Pasta
  • pasta salad with deviled eggs filling.
    Loaded Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
  • rigatoni pasta in lamb bolognese sauce.
    Lamb Bolognese
24660 shares
  • 260
Previous
Instant Pot Bone Broth
Next
Instant Pot Applesauce

Reader Interactions

    4.83 from 23 votes (9 ratings without comment)

    Leave A Reply! Cancel reply

    Share your thoughts!
    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

    Recipe Rating




    Comments & Reviews

  1. Margaret says

    February 07, 2025 at 4:04 am

    5 stars
    Made with GF penne pasta. Fresh sage, dried thyme. Garlic oil and shallot. Shredded English costal cheddar and sliced roasted chicken breast. Fed to my family, before the meal was done they were speaking about second helpings! In a word, YUMMY!

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      February 08, 2025 at 8:18 am

      Glad you liked it, thank you

      Reply
  2. Linda says

    October 22, 2024 at 9:43 am

    5 stars
    Turned out absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making it again.

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      October 22, 2024 at 9:49 am

      Thank you Linda! So glad to hear you loved the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Chelsey says

    May 15, 2024 at 9:59 am

    5 stars
    Approved by 5 kids! Definitely a keeper!!

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      May 15, 2024 at 12:24 pm

      YAY! So glad to hear kids loved this mac and cheese. It’s an absolute favorite in our home too. Thank you for sharing your feedback Chelsey.

      Reply
  4. Carrie says

    May 10, 2024 at 9:28 am

    2 stars
    I don’t love squash and I’m trying to find recipes to like it. Unfortunately this tasted so strongly of butternut squash that I had a really hard time enjoying it. It is an easy and quick recipe, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really like squash.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

More About Me
Subscribe

Recipes In Your Inbox

Sign up to receive all our latest recipes straight to your inbox.

    🥗 Salad Recipes

    • healthy arugula beetroot and feta cheese salad on white plate
      Healthy Arugula Beet Salad With Feta Cheese
    • close up view of spinach and strawberry salad in a wooden bowl.
      10 Minutes Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
    • 3 bean salad in bowl
      3 Bean Salad
    • close view of Asian chicken salad
      Chinese Chicken Salad
    • pea salad with cheese, bacon and red onion in ceramic bowl
      Classic Pea Salad With Bacon And Cheese
    • classic egg salad in a bowl.
      Easy Classic Egg Salad Recipe

    🍲 Soup Recipes

    • chicken and gnocchi soup in a bowl.
      Chicken Gnocchi Soup with Bacon
    • spicy sriracha ramen noodles soup topped with soft-boiled eggs.
      20 Minutes Spicy Sriracha Ramen Noodles Soup
    • chicken detox soup in a pot.
      Healthy Immunity Boosting Chicken Detox Soup
    • leek and potato soup served in ceramic soup bowl with bacon
      Creamy Potato Leek Soup (with no added cream)
    • instant pot chicken noodles soup in white bowl
      Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
    • easy egg drop soup in bowl
      Easy Chinese Egg Drop Soup
    Featured on:
    Yummly Logo.
    Tastewise Logo.
    Plattershare Logo.
    parade Logo.
    Greatist Logo.
    Foodgawker Logo.
    Buzzfeed Logo.
    Subscribe

    Recipes In Your Inbox

      Curry Trail Submark Logo.

      Connect With me

      Categories

      • Starters/Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch/Dinner
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dish
      • Desserts

      About

      • About Me
      • Contact Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Accessibility
      • Latest
      ©2025, Curry Trail. All Rights Reserved. Accessibility About Privacy Policy
      Back To Top
      Design by Pixel Me Designs
      ×
      Subscribe

      Recipes In Your Inbox

      Sign up to receive all our latest recipes straight to your inbox.

        24660 shares
        • Pinterest
        • 260Facebook
        • Flipboard
        • Email

        Rate This Recipe

        Your vote:




        A rating is required
        A name is required
        An email is required

        Recipe Ratings without Comment

        Something went wrong. Please try again.