Martha's Mac n' Cheese

Having a toddler who's favorite dish is macaroni and cheese, I am always looking for great ways to prepare it as healthy as possible. I think I found the ultimate perfect dish this time! This is the recipe I am sticking with! I don't know what I am going to do when butter nut squash isn't in season next spring and summer! This is a recipe I could eat all three meals a day every day of the week and not get sick of it, I am serious. It's THAT good. Please do yourselves a favor and make this soon, you have no idea what you are missing out on! It makes a lot too, so you can have left overs for days, unless you are serving it to company, then no promises that there will be any left!

Healthy Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe by Martha Stewart

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into one inch cubes.
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. coarse salt plus more for the water
pepper
1 lb. elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup). We got low fat cheddar on accident and it was still really good, you couldn't even tell the difference.
1/2 cup part skim ricotta (we used whole milk ricotta...made up for the fat in the cheddar! : )
4 Tb. Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 Tb. panko bread crumbs
1 Tb. olive oil
olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375
Combine squash, stock and milk in a medium sauce pan; bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until squash is tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat and mash the contents in the pot. Stir in the nutmeg, cayenne and salt and season with pepper.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta and 2 Tb. Parmesan.
Lightly coat a 9 inch square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, remaining Parmesan and olive oil and sprinkle evenly over noodles.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking another 30-40 minutes until it's brown and crispy on top. Serve immediately. YUM.

Healthy Mac and Cheese

This is one of Owen's favorite meals (and mine too). In fact he had two large helpings tonight and ate every last crumb until he said he was done. I found the recipe originally from some friends of mine in Santa Barbara http://www.yummymummyfood.blogspot.com/ and have have made it a little different each time. Today turned out to be perfect, so this is the amended recipe I will stick to (for now). What's great about this one, is that the left overs keep for a few days (unless you eat it all before then of course), and it's a nice dish to reheat and serve without having to think about what you are going to give your hungry little one when you are out of ideas of what to make!

Healthy Mac and Cheese

3/4 Cup pureed raw carrots

1/2 Cup pureed raw cauliflower

1/2 of a large sweet potato pureed in a food processor

1/3 cup orange juice

1/2 Cup white beans (cannelli)

3 Cups short whole wheat pasta (9 oz), (I used the corkscrew & alphabet pasta this time, but penne also works fine)

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (sometimes I add smoked Gouda, but didn't have any on hand today).

1 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes drained 1/2 cup broccoli finely chopped (if you have a toddler anyway!)
1 Tb. chopped tarragon
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350

In small sauce pan, combine the carrots, cauliflower, sweet potato, orange juice and 1/3 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the vegetables are soft (about 30 mins). Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and add the white beans. Puree until smooth

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 Cup of the cooking water and drain the rest of the pasta. Return the water and pasta back to the pot and add the vegetable puree. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and cook for 2-3 more minutes longer. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and white pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a medium baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. let stand for 5 minutes before serving.