Meal Planner Monday: Macaroni and Cheese

(Sorry, no picture...we are at a student home and don't have the camara with us...)

I tested this recipe on Mike tonight and he said it tasted good, so I'm going to try it on the kids sometime. I found it several weeks ago on the Food Network website when I was looking for healthy versions of recipes that kids might like. It isn't necessarily the best ever Macaroni and Cheese recipe but it's not too bad. (Is this the first time that you've ever eaten squash, Mike?)

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I measured roughly, used the microwave and used cheeses that were already here. I think the idea to using the squash and not having the flavor come through is to use sharp cheese and the pepper and hot sauce.

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1/2 lb (2 cups) macaroni noodles

1 package frozen pureed winter squash

1 cup milk

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

Several dashes of hot sauce

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Preheat oven to 375. Cook macaroni al dente. Meanwhile, defrost squash in a greased casserole dish in the microwave, then add remaining ingredients and cook in microwave until cheeses are melted together. Drain macaroni and mix into cheese sauce. Add bread crumb topping if you like (2 Tbsp bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp olive oil). Bake for 20 minutes and then broil for 3 minutes if you used the bread crumb topping. Makes about 6-8 servings.

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The original recipe is here