Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
This butternut squash mac and cheese is delightful! It's cheesy and creamy but not too rich, with subtle roasted butternut squash flavor.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
This butternut squash mac and cheese recipe strikes the perfect weeknight balance. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s comforting and completely delicious. This mac and cheese is not so rich that you’ll get a belly ache or fall asleep immediately after dinner.
This recipe is redeeming, too—it’s full of luscious roasted butternut squash, which amps up the golden hue without overwhelming the flavor. This mac and cheese is a real crowd pleaser. Our toddler loves it and so do we.
The cooking method is a thrill. This pasta comes together in one pot. You don’t ever strain the pasta. You don’t have to fuss with a béchamel sauce. You don’t have to get out the blender for the butternut.
If you roast your squash in advance, this recipe comes together in about 30 minutes. This is a unicorn of a pasta dish and I’m so excited to hear how it turns out in your kitchen.
Butternut Mac and Cheese Ingredients
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s what you should know about the key ingredients before you head to the store.
Butternut Squash
Roast your squash in advance and this recipe comes together quickly. You can roast it a day before or earlier in the day—simply let it cool, then cover and refrigerate it for later.
Roast a large squash, and you’ll have twice as much squash as you need for this recipe. Freeze the other half for a future batch of mac and cheese! This recipe is flexible—use anywhere from one to two cups of mashed butternut squash per batch. (The recipe specifies two cups for max veggie power, but you certainly can use less.)
We’ll simply cut the squash in half and roast it until tender. Then peel off the skin, mash up the squash that you need, and drop it into the boiling water. Any little lumps will work themselves out while the pasta cooks. It’s like magic.
In a hurry? You can use one 15-ounce can of puréed butternut squash in place of the roasted squash. Or use one can of pumpkin purée (not pie filling) and follow my Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe instead.
Short-Cut Pasta
Again, this recipe is flexible and I’ve used a variety of pasta noodle shapes with success. My favorite, which you’ll see in the photos, is pipe rigate. Other options include macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli, and the like. To make this recipe gluten free, we successfully used Jovial brand’s brown rice-based fusilli.
Tip: “Short-cut” pasta refers to compact noodle shapes, as opposed to long strands like spaghetti.
Cream Cheese
No béchamel required for this mac and cheese. Cream cheese stirs right into the pot and makes this pasta creamy, lightly tangy, and luxurious. You’ll use half of a standard block of cream cheese for this recipe, and I don’t know about you, but I’m always glad to have some extra cream cheese on hand for my toast.
Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan
Use a flavorful cheddar cheese for this mac and cheese. My favorite is Kerrygold, which annoyingly comes in a 7-ounce package rather than an even 8-ounce, but 7 ounces will do!
Parmesan cheese further amps up the flavor. Dust your individual servings with a little more Parmesan, if you’d like.
Tip: Grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in powder that can cause the cheese to clump when it melts.
A Few More Basic Ingredients
You’ll also need olive oil (for roasting the squash), butter, garlic and onion powder, water and salt. Easy enough.
Watch How to Make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
How to Safely Slice Your Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is large and dense, so it can be difficult to manage. Here are some tips on how to prepare it safely:
- Start with a sharp chef’s knife and a stable cutting board. You can place a lightly damp tea towel beneath your cutting board to keep it from moving around.
- Use the knife to cut off the tip-top and very bottom ends of the squash.
- Stand the squash upright with the thickest flat side as the base.
- Carefully slice through the squash from top to bottom to divide it in half. Your fingers should never be in the blade’s way.
- Lastly, use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them (we won’t need them for this recipe).
Serving Suggestions
Serve green salad on the side—perhaps my Super Simple Arugula Salad, Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas, or any improvised salad with a simple vinaigrette.
This recipe yields quite a lot of pasta (eight servings). It reheats well for packed lunches and leftover dinners. I’ve even frozen the leftovers in this large silicone ice cube tray—once reheated in the microwave, the texture isn’t quite the same, but it’s still nice enough for our toddler to enjoy. While I haven’t tried, I believe you could cut the recipe in half and cook it in a medium-sized pot.
Love this butternut mac and cheese?
You’ll also enjoy these recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Amazing Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
- Real Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Please let me know how your butternut mac and cheese turns out in the comments! This is the first one-pot pasta dish of this nature on the blog, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
This butternut squash mac and cheese is a delight! It’s just right—cheesy and creamy but not too rich, with subtle roasted butternut squash flavor. To help this recipe come together quickly for a weeknight dinner, roast the squash in advance. If you choose a large squash, you’ll have about twice as much as you need—freeze it for future use. Recipe yields 8 servings (quite a lot!) and leftovers are great.
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large butternut squash (1.5 pounds or larger), halved
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pound short-cut pasta (pipe regate, macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli)
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- To roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Scoop out the squash seeds with a spoon (we won’t need them for this recipe). Rub the olive oil over the cut sides of butternut, then place them on the prepared pan, flat sides down.
- Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through with a fork, about 40 to 60 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard it. Use a potato masher to mash up the squash—don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth. You’ll need about 2 cups mashed squash for this recipe (you’ll likely have plenty extra, which you can freeze for future mac and cheese). Set aside, refrigerate and/or freeze the squash until ready to use.
- To prepare the mac and cheese: Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion powder and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the butter is fragrant and you see little brown flecks forming in the pan. Add the dry pasta and gently toss to coat it in butter.
- Pour in the water and salt. Add 2 cups of the mashed butternut squash. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid and set the timer for 8 minutes.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the timer goes off. Do not drain the water. Stir in the cream cheese. Cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente (careful when you taste, it’s quite hot), about 4 to 5 more minutes. Turn down the heat as necessary to avoid scorching but maintain a steady simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheddar and Parmesan, and stir until the mixture is melted and creamy. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Season with salt, to taste (I usually add ¼ teaspoon more). Serve the pasta in bowls with extra Parmesan grated on top, if desired. Leftovers keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make it gluten free: Gluten-free pastas vary widely. Choose a spiral-shaped gluten-free brown rice pasta, such as fusilli, over other pasta types (my tester was pleased with Jovial brand). Stir gently and don’t cook the pasta any longer than necessary or it may start to lose its shape.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
mine was fairly watery still. Flavor was there and was absolutely delicious but next time I will use a bit less water :-). I pretty much live off your recipes Kate, they are all so delicious!
Wonderful, Laura!
OMG!!! This is so freaking yummy, creamy and thick. I want to grow more pumpkin just to make this dish over and over.
I’ve not come across onion powder in South Africa, so I just finely chopped a large white onion and gently sauted it for 10mins in butter till soft, added some finely chopped garlic. I also roasted my butternut with some sage as I love the flavour combination.
I used some Ricotta in place of cheddar, it didn’t melt as I thought it would, but still so tasty.
Thank you for all the receipes you post.
You’re welcome, Janine! I’m excited you enjoyed it.
Overall I think this was a good recipe, but I noted a few issues that came up for me… 1. The timing in the directions for cooking the pasta ended up overcooking it for me and all the stirring at the end ended up with an undefined blob of pasta (ymmv though depending on what kind of pasta you have!). 2. I recommend definitely using an extra sharp cheddar – I only had sharp cheddar and I found it was lacking in flavor and too mild. I might also add extra onion/garlic powder as well. 3. I couldn’t really taste the roasted squash at all (which for little ones, is probably a win haha!). But I was a bit disappointed and wanted more of that pronounced squash flavor. Overall, a solid recipe, but not my favorite from Cookie and Kate. To each their own though – I could see it being great for kiddos!
I’m sorry to hear you had issues, Samantha. What type of pasta did you use? Sometimes squash flavor can vary based on when it was picked. I’m glad you were still able to work with it.
I love your recipes, and this one didn’t disappoint. I used fresh onion and garlic chopped very very finely and it worked beautifully. Once all was done I put it into a casserole dish and sprinkled some breadcrumbs on top, just for the heck of it, and was pleased with the result. This and a side salad for dinner is a great combination, so many thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much for this recipe! My 16 month old loves it and so do we! We couldn’t serve it to him fast enough. We loved your recipes while trying to conceive, pregnant and in this new stage of toddler friendly cooking!
You’re welcome, Carissa! I appreciate your review.
Will be making this tomorrow to take to family. What is the best way to reheat this dish! TYIA!
Just made this recipe and it is so delicious!
My family is going to love it. The only thing I would add next time is a little more salt. A must keep recipe
Made it! It was exceptional, wife and kid loved it! The neighbours too…
I would love to leave a picture but I’m not on any social media…
Greetings from Croatia!
Great to hear, Zuna!
This recipe is fabulous. I followed it as written. It definitely makes dinner really quick if you pre-prepare the butternut squash. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Great to hear, Sheri!
Hi Kate. Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious. I used two 10-ounce packages of frozen, cubed butternut squash, which I roasted accordingly. This amount came to 2 cups mashed. I also was out of garlic powder, so I used minced garlic instead. This was a big hit with my picky eater toddler as well, so win win!
This was fantastic! Even the squash sceptics in my family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Laura!
Made this tonight. Really enjoyed it. Just wondering if leftover can be frozen.
I was curious about the pasta not being drained, but you haven’t lead me astray yet. Turned out great even with Gluten Free pasta (I’m celiac) and my whole family loved it. Thanks again for another win!
I love to hear that, Kaitlin! Thank you for your review.
Made it today. Absolute winner winner!!
5 stars from me
Great to hear, Rubi! I appreciate your review.
Have you ever tried making this recipe vegan? If so, are there dairy-free cheeses you would recommend for the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese?
I haven’t tried making this vegan, sorry!
This is AMAZING. The perfect comfort food for a rainy day (or any time). Lots of flavour and I love the texture.
I didn’t have onion powder so I used a shallot instead. I think a whole small shallot lol. Didn’t notice it to be too overpowering.
I’ve been making your recipes for over two years now – this is my first time writing a review. Not sure why haha. But I love all of your creations. Thank you so much!
This was delicious! My whole family loved it. I told my husband towards the end of the 8 minute noodle cooking that something magic was happening in the pot. I don’t know how you figured out what the squash would do in this recipe out, but it’s wicked smart and super yummy! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Michelle! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve made other squash mac and cheese recipes and this one was MUCH more simplified and soooo creamy and delicious. A total home run! Definitely replacing my other one for the rotation ;)
I’m glad you loved it, Stephanie!
Hi Kate,
I’m making this recipe tomorrow night. So looking forward to trying it!
Do you think it will work with Acorn squash? And, have you tried making it with chickpea pasta like Banza? Thank you!
I’m not sure about acorn squash. I do know gluten free brown rice pasta works. You could try it. Let me know what you think!
Delicious!!
Not only did my picky toddler eat this she asked for seconds.
That’s great to hear, Eliza!
I’ve made this mac n cheese a few times now and highly recommend doubling the butternut squash and, at the end, putting the whole pot (use an oven safe pot!) in the oven on broil to crisp up the top :)
Great to hear, Lea! I appreciate your review.
I made this but changed to suit vegan.. it was lovely thank you for this recipe x
You’re welcome, Rachel! Thank you for your review.
I wasn’t sure about this one but of course it turned out great, should have known Cookie & Kate would be right on target. I made some changes to suit my Australian taste buds, less cheese, less salt, fried onions instead of powder and served it with some croutons to add some crunch. My wife and son loved it, me too! Thanks for all your recipes, they really hit the spot and I love how healthy they are as well.
Cheers!
Adrian
That’s great to hear, Adrian!
Is this a dish that could be frozen and stuck back in an oven? I’m looking for some freezer meal ideas to bring to a friend with a new baby!
This actually tastes like Mac and cheese! It’s not quite as sharp as some Mac and cheese but I preferred this! I will be replacing my current Mac and cheese recipe with this!
Thank you for your review, Kimber!
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! Great flavour and texture. I can’t get over the creaminess! Comes together so quick as well.
Any tips for reheating? I’ve tried this recipe a few times and the leftovers aren’t as creamy as the first night. What am I doing wrong?
I’m glad you love it, Natalie! I appreciate your review.
So yummy!
So much leftovers tho as we’re only two!
Does it freeze well?
Hi! Typically pasta recipes aren’t great freezer options.
I don’t typically have cream cheese on hand, but I do have ricotta. Would that work as a sub? Thanks.
I don’t think you will get the same end result. However if you do try it, let me know!
I recently read on another site about roasting butternut squash. It said to roast it WHOLE!!! I’ve been struggling to cut squash in half for years & never thought of doing it that way…..what a great idea. The only thing you have to do is poke it a few times [ like you do a potato] so it doesn’t explode in the oven. I think more people should know about this; they’ll eat mor squash….yum. Nancy
Rarely do I leave comments, but this recipe was outstanding! The flavors blended perfectly. You really tasted the butternut squash; the cheese didn’t take over. We substituted one chopped onion for the onion powder and garlic powder (cannot eat garlic) and it was delicious. Cannot wait to make it again. We served it with green string beans, which were very tasty but would also enjoy with broccoli or spinach. Yum.
I’m so glad you did! Thank you for sharing, Lucy.
Absolutely delicious, and so much easier and quicker than other butternut squash recipes out there. My squash wasn’t quite big enough and the cheeses overpowered, but excited to try again.
Hi! Love so many of your recipes, so thanks for making life easier and more delicious! Roasting my butternut now, but have a question/concern— been very aware of oils lately… Mostly seed oils but also smoking point of other oils, like olive oil, which varies but on average about 400 degrees, so they say. I ended up using avocado oil for mine this time, but how about roasting with olive oil at a safer temperature like 350? Does that even work or will it take forever?
Hi Eleanor, my understanding is that high quality olive oil is higher in polyphenols, which actually protect the oil from breaking down at higher heats. I’ve heard that up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit is safe with good quality olive oil. You could drop the temperature to 400 and bake it longer—how much longer, I’m not entirely sure—but that would be my suggestion if you are concerned. Olive oil becomes acrid when overheated and I didn’t smell that when I roasted this squash (or any of my roasted vegetables recipes, really). I think the concerns are overblown, personally!
It was delicious as a recently turned vegan I have been looking for recipes such as these. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Edith! I appreciate your review.
Whoaaa this was so good. I used the Fusili Corti Bucati pasta from Trader Joe’s, which cooks faster than the average pasta. Because of this, I cut down the initial cooking time (the 8 mins before adding the cream cheese) to 4 minutes. This worked well for me. I otherwise followed the recipe as written, and served it with roasted broccoli on top. My kids (and husband) couldn’t get enough. This will be my go-to homemade mac recipe from now on. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Keeley!
Made this tonight with butternut squash my husband grew. Absolutely delicious! The only problem I had was that there was quote a bit of slightly burned crust on the bottom of the pot. I think having the temp at high for longer than it took to bring the pasta to the boil was at fault. I turned the heat down gradually, bit not soon enough. I made my husband clean the pot!
That’s great to hear, Emily! I appreciate your review.
Our picky toddler is obsessed.
Thank you!
I love to hear that, Gab! Thank you for your review.
I had never made my 1 year old Mac and cheese before. I made this recipe and it tastes great!! He loves it! Love your other recipes too.
Can you use vegan cheeses and get good results?
I don’t think you will have the result you are after, sorry! You can try my Vegan Mac and Cheese
Delicious! I used scooby doo noodles and followed the recipe and it was great. Will make again!
This recipe is so good. Only thing I added was about a teaspoon nutmeg and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Is so rich and creamy. Will definitely make again.
Great to hear, Phyllis!
I just made it as written and it’s delicious ! But I did taste it before adding the cheeses and it was delicious then too – so I think it would work as a vegan recipe too and have more of a butternut flavor that way . Either way , yum !
I’m glad you loved it, Aliza!
My daughter requested Butternut Squash Mac and cheese. This was a fun one pot recipe. Delicious. I followed the recipe almost as written. I didn’t have onion powder. I used 4 cups water and 1 cup milk. Will definitely make it again.
Thank you for your review, Jen!
Seriously the best Mac and cheese I’ve made from scratch. The recipe was easier than I thought it’d be and turned out incredible and creamy.
I’m glad you loved it!
Oh my GOSH. This is so divine. The rich sweetness of the squash offsetting the soft bite of the cheddar, the rich sauce, everything. This is maybe the best mac and cheese of any kind I’ve ever had. The squash I roasted gave me enough to make a whole second batch, and I will be doing so as soon as this batch is gone!
I substituted the garlic and onion powders for ~5cloves of garlic and half of a finely diced yellow onion, and I caramelized those in the butter before adding the pasta. It turned out great!
I cut the recipe in half and it still made 8 healthy servings. I bought a half-precut butternut squash, roasted it, and pureed it in my Nutri bullet. I served it the first night with sauteed garlic kale. Since it is just my hubby and me I ended up freezing some. I made it exactly as written and though it was good that evening it was better the next day and day after that! One night we put it in the oven and topped it with some of TJ’s fried jalapenos- oh my!
Thank you for sharing, Jodi!
I made this with canned pumpkin and it was SO DELICIOUS. I make a lot of your recipes and they never disappoint – THANK YOU!!!!
You’re welcome, Abby! I appreciate your review.
How many cups in a pound of pasta?
This was delicious and such a perfect fall dish! So creamy and flavorful without being overly rich. 10/10 would definitely make again! Thanks for the great recipe :)
You’re welcome, Talia!
I’m going to give this Mac and Cheese a try it looks good.I have been looking for a good recipe to make this.I will let you know how it goes.Thank you for putting out your recipes.