I’m straying a bit from our typical gluten and dairy-free theme this week, sharing one of the things I make my two daughters who don’t have food restrictions. Everyone loves a good mac and cheese, but something I struggle with the number of commonplace foods that are just differently shaped combinations of grain and dairy. Mac and cheese. Cereal and milk. Quesadillas. Grilled cheese sandwich. Nachos. Crackers and cheese. Cheese pizza. Biscuits and gravy. On and on and on, with nary a vegetable in sight. And while I’m not in the “absolutely never” camp on these things, I do think that people generally feel best if they eat fruits or vegetables with every meal. So I started making butternut squash mac and cheese for my kids, and kept making it for me.

Utensil Holder (similar) | Lidded Jar | Wooden Bowl | Paring Knife | Epic Bone Broth

There are some recipes where the addition of vegetables becomes cumbersome, adding lengthy process and steps. Not the case here. The butternut squash blends smoothly into this cheese sauce, adding the right color, consistency, and flavor, while letting us reduce the amount of of dairy we use overall (no milk needed – just a little cheese, cream cheese, and splash of cream).

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Of course this recipe can easily be made gluten free by swapping for gluten free noodles. I also make a dairy-free version using the sauce I make for my dairy-free scalloped potatoes, with the addition of the butternut squash and chicken stock in this recipe. It works really well, so if you’re wanting dairy-free that’s a great option.

Stock Pot | Hand Painted Bowls | White Bowl | Dish Towel

For my recipe I like to use pancetta, because I think that bacon can sometimes take over the flavor of mac and cheese. Which isn’t always bad, since bacon is supes delish. Use whichever you prefer – or maybe use whichever one you use least and try something new.

I hope you give this one a try, and if you do let me know what you think! It’s my favorite mac and cheese recipe to date, and something I feel at least a little better about indulging in.