Butternut Squash and Kale Mac&Cheese

Every kid loves Mac&Cheese, it’s the #1 kid comfort food: creamy, warm, cheesy.
For the upcoming Holidays I decided to prepare an healthy version of the traditional Mac&Cheese adding two seasonal ingredients like butternut squash and kale to give an extra punch of nutrients to the recipe.

As I’m cooking for little picky eaters I decided to incorporate the vegetables in a super smooth and creamy sauce so that no complaints could be risen 😉
Also, I prepared a big batch of sauce that I partially used for dinner and partially froze for future meals.

Considering the ingredients this is a wonderful toddler recipe +12 months. If you would like to serve it to younger babies, +8 months you can simply skip the salt (you will add it later for adults) and substitute milk with either coconut milk or just broth.

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Butternut squash and kale Mac&Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 lb short shaped pasta 500gr.
• 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 1 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium butternut squash 1,5kg / 3lb
• 5 oz. kale 150gr.
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1,25 lt.
• ¾ cup milk 200 ml.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded mix of cheeses:
• fontina 3oz 80gr. +
• parmesan 2oz 50gr. +
• aged gouda 2oz 50gr.

Instructions

1. Mince the onions into very small pieces
   
2. Heat the Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium low heat and add the onions.
3. Sauté over low heat until golden, about 20 minutes.
   
4. Peel the skin and remove the seeds from the squash. Cut the pulp into small cubes.
   
5. In a medium pot add the broth, the squash and the kale. bring to boil.
   
6. Cook for 10 minutes from boil.
   
7. Drain the broth and reserve 2 cups of broth apart.
   
8. In the pot with the vegetables add the onions, milk, salt, and 1 cup of broth
   
9. 
10. With an immersion blender puree until completely smooth and creamy. If you need you can add more broth to obtain the desired consistency.
    
11. Cook the pasta following the directions on the packaging and drain.
    
12. Pour the pureed sauce over the cooked pasta and add the shredded cheeses. Stir to melt the cheeses; add broth to adjust consistency as needed.
    
13. 
14. Enjoy!