Macaroni and Boston and Cheese

I need to post more. On-campus recruiting at Penn has been in full swing, and I have a ton of pictures to unload for you all. I was actually in Boston last weekend for some final round interviews and had a ton of fun taking in the sights (and napping in the hotel room). Since I had a long day of travel, it was totally fair to room service a decadent dinner, no? I didn't want to be too sluggish, so I grabbed two appetizers, a simple spinach salad and some seriously rich FRIED MACARONI BALLS. 

I kind of enjoyed the salad more (spinach, cranberries, feta, raspberry vinaigrette), because after macaroni ball #3, I was starting to feel all that butter and cream. But of course I kept eating because I can only muster so much willpower after hours of interviews. No matter- my hotel, which was in the beautiful Back Bay area, provided running maps, so I grabbed a morning run in early before my next round of interviews. 

Sweaty and happy on the Charles River!

By the time I got back to Philly, I was exhausted, but was still having some serious macaroni and cheese cravings! Since the deep fried, cheese-filled stuff was not sustainable, I made a healthier version using butternut squash in place of some cheese and ate it with some grilled chicken and green beans. As someone who tends to not enjoy whatever gross low-fat mac and cheese, this stuff is the tops. Creamy, cheesy, and a bit of sweetness from the squash. And even better, only a few ingredients. Thank you Women's Health!

Get the recipe after the jump...

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (from Women's Health Magazine)

Ingredients:

1/2 Box macaroni pasta (or four servings)

1 cup shredded cheddar (low-fat, regular, or a mix)

6 oz butternut squash (regular or frozen/pureed)

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 Tbs each parmesan and breadcrumbs for topping

salt, pepper, dijon mustard

Directions (preheat oven to 375 F)

1. Cook a half box of pasta, or four servings till al dente. You really don't want it to be too soft, since it's going to bake for a bit too. Meanwhile...

2. I bought pre-cut, raw butternut squash chunks from Trader Joe's in a 1lb package. So I took about a third out, put it in a plate with cling wrap over it, and microwaved for 5 1/2 minutes till it was super steamed and soft (you could also bake it but who has the time?). I then mashed it with a fork, because I'm fancy like that.

3. Put the mashed squash in a small pot with 1/2 cup of milk and heat it over medium low, stirring often. Once it's barely simmering, add the shredded cheese, a small spoonful of dijon, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the cheese melts and gets mixed in; it will really start looking like a bright cheese sauce (although my picture is not very enticing).

4. Get out a small casserole dish, add the cooked and drained pasta with the cheese sauce, and mix well. Top with a tablespoon each of breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan. Seasoned breadcrumbs or panko would be great here, but I just used plain panko with a generous sprinkle of a seasoning mix. Bake for about 20 minutes uncovered, or until the topping melts. Then chow down!