My buddy Jimmy, who is a culinary genius in training and my son’s Godfather, and I were JUST talking about all these douchey food blogs where there is an insane amount of fluff in each post that you have to scroll through before you get to the actual fucking recipe and I’m about to commit said fluff because guyyyyyyys food is life okayyyyyyy. And I make food for my family and it’s very important okayyyyyy.
No seriously, it kinda is. Particularly now that my son is two and is becoming the pickiest little bugger. He has texture issues, smell issues and is seriously suspicious of anything green on his plate. So. My. Kid. I’m also not about to make him four different goddamn dinners a night and lay it before him like a sultan only so he can toss each one to the floor and say PEEPEEJELLYSAMMICHMAWWWWM because that’s what he really wanted in the first place but forgot what it was called good god this is a wonderful phase.
I ALSO don’t want to be one of those fucking moms who is going batshit right now about Kraft changing their mac and cheese recipe because “that’s the only thing my kid will eat!!!” Or remember the British teenager who was basically dying because she hadn’t eaten anything but CHICKEN MCNUGGETS FOR THE PAST DECADE YEAH NOT TRYING TO BE HER MOM EITHER.
Bottom line, my kid needs veggies in his tummy and I need to be sneaky about getting them in there. Plus, yaknow, I could use some, too.
So here it is. Quite possibly the best veggie mac and cheese you might ever try and I came up with this bitch all by myself. Try it, love it, get requests for it like you’re a DJ at a gay bar with a pristine vinyl copy of It’s Rainin’ Men. You’re welcome.
Butternut Squash and Spinach Mac and Cheese
- 2 C whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles
- 1 1/2 C shredded part skim milk Mexican-blend cheese
- 2 T cotija cheese (or parmesan)
- 3 handfuls of spinach
- 1 12 oz. package frozen butternut squash purée
- 1/3 C heavy cream
- 1 T olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Boil noodles as directed on package
- Steam squash in microwave as directed on package
- Pour olive oil into large pot, add spinach and sautée until barely wilted
- Add steamed squash purée, 1 C shredded cheese, heavy cream, salt and pepper to pot. Stir until smooth.
- Add macaroni. Stir until combined.
- Pour mixture into glass baking dish, top with remaining shredded cheese and cotija cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min
- Broil on HI for 2 minutes for golden crust on top
