The neck of the butternut squash is easy to peel and cube, making it perfect for dishes easy pasta dishes. This recipe is a great way to use up that pesky bottom half, as here the halved squash is simply baked until soft, and then the flesh is scooped out. Slideshow: More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Like others have suggested, this is a great start to a delicious recipe but does need a bit of help to give it more flavor. I roasted my squash at 400f for 30 minutes. To make sure it was very smooth I blended it in my Cuisinart with a little melted butter. I added nutmeg and granulated garlic - about 1/2 teaspoon each - and a couple of teaspoons of Dijon. For the topping I used panko bread crumbs with a little melted butter and about a quarter cup of Parmesan cheese. I feel you could play with this one a lot. I really like the idea of having the sweet taste and healthy addition of butternut squash to one of my favorite comfort foods.
MINOUCHKA Thank you KATE WINSLOW for bringing back this recipe as I would like to let know your fans of my changes from all the way back when this recipe was published: I know what you mean Shelby Snow Cain and AnnR --- The recipe was badly written and confusing, but in general it sounded good... so, I played with it until I got it right to my and my family liking. I followed STEP 1 as indicated, but for extra taste in STEP 2, in the melted butter, I sauteed about 1/2 cup of thinly diced onion, 2 to 3 large crushed garlic cloves, until translucent. Followed the rest of the STEP 2 and just before "whisking in the mashed butternut squash", I add to the sauce about 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard, and 1/8 tsp. of nutmeg, then finish step 2 as directed. Taste and adjusted the seasoning to our taste. Continue with STEP 3 as indicated (using a 9x13) casserole, bake at 400 degrees until bubbling and golden, about 30 minutes or so. VOILA, YUMMY! With my changes I'm rating this delish dish 5*
I made this tonight. Here are some of the gaps that the recipe needs filled: Oven temperature should be 400 or 425. I tried 375 and it was too low. As for the size of the gratin dish, a 9x13 worked well for me. As for flavor, I added a bit of Dijon (I remember reading that adding mustard to cheesy dishes makes them taste more cheesy) and it worked well BUT only the prebaked sauce tasted good. It tasted great, in fact. As soon as it was baked, the dish had almost no flavor and was very disappointing.
350° works, yall
