This butternut squash mac and cheese recipe strikes the perfect weeknight balance. It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s comforting and completely delicious. This mac and cheese is not so rich that you’ll get a belly ache or fall asleep immediately after dinner.
This recipe is redeeming, too—it’s full of luscious roasted butternut squash, which amps up the golden hue without overwhelming the flavor. This mac and cheese is a real crowd pleaser. Our toddler loves it and so do we.
The cooking method is a thrill. This pasta comes together in one pot. You don’t ever strain the pasta. You don’t have to fuss with a béchamel sauce. You don’t have to get out the blender for the butternut.
If you roast your squash in advance, this recipe comes together in about 30 minutes. This is a unicorn of a pasta dish and I’m so excited to hear how it turns out in your kitchen.
Butternut Mac and Cheese Ingredients
You’ll find the full recipe below. Here’s what you should know about the key ingredients before you head to the store.
Butternut Squash
Roast your squash in advance and this recipe comes together quickly. You can roast it a day before or earlier in the day—simply let it cool, then cover and refrigerate it for later.
Roast a large squash, and you’ll have twice as much squash as you need for this recipe. Freeze the other half for a future batch of mac and cheese! This recipe is flexible—use anywhere from one to two cups of mashed butternut squash per batch. (The recipe specifies two cups for max veggie power, but you certainly can use less.)
We’ll simply cut the squash in half and roast it until tender. Then peel off the skin, mash up the squash that you need, and drop it into the boiling water. Any little lumps will work themselves out while the pasta cooks. It’s like magic.
In a hurry? You can use one 15-ounce can of puréed butternut squash in place of the roasted squash. If you have a leftover can of pumpkin purée (not pie filling), that would work, too.
Short-Cut Pasta
Again, this recipe is flexible and I’ve used a variety of pasta noodle shapes with success. My favorite, which you’ll see in the photos, is pipe rigate. Other options include macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli, and the like. To make this recipe gluten free, we successfully used Jovial brand’s brown rice-based fusilli.
Tip: “Short-cut” pasta refers to compact noodle shapes, as opposed to long strands like spaghetti.
Cream Cheese
No béchamel required for this mac and cheese. Cream cheese stirs right into the pot and makes this pasta creamy, lightly tangy, and luxurious. You’ll use half of a standard block of cream cheese for this recipe, and I don’t know about you, but I’m always glad to have some extra cream cheese on hand for my toast.
Cheddar Cheese and Parmesan
Use a flavorful cheddar cheese for this mac and cheese. My favorite is Kerrygold, which annoyingly comes in a 7-ounce package rather than an even 8-ounce, but 7 ounces will do!
Parmesan cheese further amps up the flavor. Dust your individual servings with a little more Parmesan, if you’d like.
Tip: Grate your own cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in powder that can cause the cheese to clump when it melts.
A Few More Basic Ingredients
You’ll also need olive oil (for roasting the squash), butter, garlic and onion powder, water and salt. Easy enough.
How to Safely Slice Your Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is large and dense, so it can be difficult to manage. Here are some tips on how to prepare it safely:
- Start with a sharp chef’s knife and a stable cutting board. You can place a lightly damp tea towel beneath your cutting board to keep it from moving around.
- Use the knife to cut off the tip-top and very bottom ends of the squash.
- Stand the squash upright with the thickest flat side as the base.
- Carefully slice through the squash from top to bottom to divide it in half. Your fingers should never be in the blade’s way.
- Lastly, use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard them (we won’t need them for this recipe).
Serving Suggestions
Serve green salad on the side—perhaps my Super Simple Arugula Salad, Favorite Green Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Pepitas, or any improvised salad with a simple vinaigrette.
This recipe yields quite a lot of pasta (eight servings). It reheats well for packed lunches and leftover dinners. While I haven’t tried, I believe you could cut the recipe in half and cook it in a medium-sized pot.
Love this butternut mac and cheese?
You’ll also enjoy these recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Amazing Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
- Real Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Please let me know how your butternut mac and cheese turns out in the comments! This is the first one-pot pasta dish of this nature on the blog, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
This butternut squash mac and cheese is a delight! It’s just right—cheesy and creamy but not too rich, with subtle roasted butternut squash flavor. To help this recipe come together quickly for a weeknight dinner, roast the squash in advance. If you choose a large squash, you’ll have about twice as much as you need—freeze it for future use. Recipe yields 8 servings (quite a lot!) and leftovers are great.
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large butternut squash (1.5 pounds or larger), halved
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pound short-cut pasta (pipe regate, macaroni noodles, casarecce, cavatelli, fusilli)
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- To roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Scoop out the squash seeds with a spoon (we won’t need them for this recipe). Rub the olive oil over the cut sides of butternut, then place them on the prepared pan, flat sides down.
- Bake until the squash flesh is easily pierced through with a fork, about 40 to 60 minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard it. Use a potato masher to mash up the squash—don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth. You’ll need about 2 cups mashed squash for this recipe (you’ll likely have plenty extra, which you can freeze for future mac and cheese). Set aside, refrigerate and/or freeze the squash until ready to use.
- To prepare the mac and cheese: Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion powder and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the butter is fragrant and you see little brown flecks forming in the pan. Add the dry pasta and gently toss to coat it in butter.
- Pour in the water and salt. Add 2 cups of the mashed butternut squash. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid and set the timer for 8 minutes.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the timer goes off. Do not drain the water. Stir in the cream cheese. Cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente (careful when you taste, it’s quite hot), about 4 to 5 more minutes. Turn down the heat as necessary to avoid scorching but maintain a steady simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheddar and Parmesan, and stir until the mixture is melted and creamy. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Season with salt, to taste (I usually add ¼ teaspoon more). Serve the pasta in bowls with extra Parmesan grated on top, if desired. Leftovers keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make it gluten free: Gluten-free pastas vary widely. Choose a spiral-shaped gluten-free brown rice pasta, such as fusilli, over other pasta types (my tester was pleased with Jovial brand). Stir gently and don’t cook the pasta any longer than necessary or it may start to lose its shape.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Gord
Rather than roasting the squash, could it just be boiled or microwaved in plastic to soften given that the roasting flavor is only on a small part of the squash and will probably be somewhat dried out (my prior experience with roasted whole squash)? It would make this dish faster.
Kate
Hi Gord, Roasting really gives it the best flavor. I hope you try it!
Rosalyn
We don’t really use onion powder and garlic powder in the UK, although you can buy them both I think.
Do you think it would work as well to fry a chopped small onion and a clove or two of garlic in the butter at the beginning? It wouldn’t be a smooth puree then of course.
Kate
You could try it. I would be interested to hear what you think!
Kat
Hi Rosalyn, you can definitely get them in most UK supermarkets :)
Cait
I’m excited to make this! However, I’m wondering if it would work if I used the frozen, cubed butternut squash in my freezer. Could I just boil it, or should I attempt to roast it also?
(It’s storebought, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t roasted before it was frozen).
Thanks!
Kate
Hi! I would still roast it (once thawed) for best flavor. Let me know what you think!
CAIT
Thanks a bunch! I’ll try that.
Christina
This looks so delicious and easy to make. Definitely going to make it this weekend. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Christina! Thank you for your review.
Radhika sharma
I am obsessed with this mac n cheese recipe of yours, I tried it recently and now my siblings want more of it. Honestly you have made my job difficult haha , but seriously , I am in love with this dish. Keep feeding us such delicious recipes . Thanks , Radhika Sharma
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you!
Jack
My mouth is literally watering reading this! The combination of creamy cheese and nutty squash will surely be a hit! Plus, it’s great to sneak in some extra veggies to your meal. Love your recipe!!
-Jack from SkilletGuy.com
Kate
Let me know what you think, Jack!
Wendy
Thanks for this recipe. We always have some mashed butternut squash around because we mix it into our dog’s food, so I’ll be giving this recipe a try. What do you think about substituting creme fraiche (which I have in the fridge) for the cream cheese?
Kate
It may work. They can be used as substitutes sometimes. Let me know what you think!
Nadine Gilder
Just made this and followed the recipe exactly as written. SOOOO creamy and DELICIOUS! PERFECT
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Nadine! Thank you for commenting.
Nina
Kate, I microwave my squash for a few minutes before cutting. 1000% easier!
Suzanne
Tried this and it was great! Used about 1/2 the cheddar suggested and it still was super creamy. Roasting the squash is key as it added so much flavour. Thank you Kate.
★★★★★
Peanut
This was fantastic and so easy! Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Your’e welcome, Peanut! Great to hear you enjoyed it.
Karen D Cantwell
Holy crow! It is rich.
★★★★
Jinny
Reasons I am SO EXCITED to try this recipe:
1. My husband LOVES mac-n-cheese
2. I know my 1-year old will eat this
3. This seems simple enough to cook up on a busy weeknight
4. Your recipes always turn out so good!
Kate
I hope you love it, Jinny! Be sure to tell me what you think.
Rosanne Brown
Could you make this recipe without the cream cheese?
Kate
I recommend this best as written, sorry!
Shana Mahaffey
Delicious and kudos from people who don’t eat vegetables. It definitely is far easier on the stomach as well. We’ll make this again and again. I added some freshly grated nutmeg when serving.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you loved it, Shana.
Trex
ROAST THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH. KATE TURNED ME ON TO ROASTED VEGGIES. THE FLAVOR IS SO MUCH BETTER SO DONT SKIMP OUT OR YOU WILL MISS OUT!
This is guilt free Mac and cheese, you add something healthy and life is good, viva la butternut squash, can’t wait to try it, will report back later!
Ti Phillips
I just made this last night, and despite the pathetic store bought, precut squash cubes (1/2″ size and shrunk even more in roasting), this was delicious. I subbed one of the cups of water with whole milk because we like creamy things. This is definitely my new mac n cheese recipe. So easy to put together. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it still turned out for you, Ti! Thank you for commenting.
Nancy W
I love this recipe!! Thank you for teaching this old cook something new!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Nancy! I appreciate your review.
Violet R
I am going to try this today! When you say “8 ounces cheddar” do you mean 1 cup (volume ounces) or 240 grams (weight ounces). Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! You could do this in weight if you are converting it.
Violet R
Thank you for the quick reply! I ended up using about 2 cups, lightly packed. This recipe is AMAZINGLY good – just “wow”!
★★★★★
Melissa Helms
Hi Kate! I want to make this but my family is not fond of cream cheese. Can I use almond milk or evaporated milk instead?
Kate
I really think cream cheese makes this so creamy. I not sure those would be a great substitute. Sorry!
Pattie
Made butternut squash mac and cheese tonight. Roasted cut up butternut squash as that is what I had. Halved the recipe as I ended up with only around 1.5 cups of mashed squash. Loved it and recipe is a keeper. I think I add spinach or peas next time.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Pattie! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Violet R
PEOPLE YOU MUST MAKE THIS NOW!!!!
This one is a game-changer, and very easy to make once the squash is prepped. Cooking it all in one pot yields a delightfully creamy and comforting sauce – it is slightly sweet, but not overly “squash-y.” I did need to stir frequently during the 8 minute boiling period, to prevent my penne from sticking and scorching. My squash yielded about 5 cups mash, so I froze the remainder to make this again. Hubby and I are looking forward to having it again soon. It tastes like something you might get in a restaurant – also very filling and satisfying. Yum!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Violet! I’m so glad you loved it.
Lina
This was an absolute hit!! My son went for his third serving saying how delicious it was! Thank you Kate!!!
★★★★★
Barbara
Had a butternut squash in the cold cellar from Thanksgiving. Mad this Mac and Cheese and my son and husband loved it. Easy one pat dish. Only thing I would do is puree the squash well before adding to the pasta. It’s a winner,
Thanks
Barbara
Merriya
Made this last night for dinner, had it for lunch today, and I’m still looking forward to eating it again! Is it a flavorful and easy to follow recipe? Absolutely! Roasting really brought out the butternut squash’s flavor. I used gouda and cheddar, and topped it off with diced zucchini and cubanelle peppers. 1000/10, my new favorite mac and cheese recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Merriya! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Kris
I just made this and it was SO good!! I love roasted butternut squash and love mac & cheese but never thought of combining them. I used fresh onion and garlic and sauteed them as well as a gluten-free pasta made with cauliflower. Yummy! Thank you for all of your recipes, I’ve been making them for years
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Kris!
Paige
Made this tonight so yummy! I did realize, after I had started roasting squash and told my child what we were having, that I didn’t have enough cream cheese. To compensate I subbed one cup of the water with milk (which I had seen in another comment) and added little over 2 oz (amount of cream cheese I was short) very creamy havarti cheese when I added cheddar. I thought it turned out great! I’ll def be making this again. Also made lots so we can enjoy leftovers tomorrow.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Paige.
Linda
Is this a good “make ahead” recipe? I would like to include it on a party buffet table, but don’t want to be making it at the last minute. Thanks!
Kate
You could try it. Let me know how it goes!
Louise
Fabulous! The butternut squash is a superb addition, giving a creamy texture without the heaviness of traditional mac & cheese. Our go to here on in. Thank you for yet another delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Julia
This was a huge hit with my family! I didn’t have any Parmesan on hand so I omitted it and still had great results. My two year old finished her bowl three times, and my 9 my month old gobbled it up all dinner long. My husband loved it as well! Thanks for another great recipe, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray, Julia! That’s great to hear.
Hilary
I used pre-cut squash and steamed it which worked beautifully. I also dumped in some shredded kale at the last minute. Yum. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Hilary! I appreciate your review.
Sarah
Made the half recipe in a large pot. Had to add a big splash of extra water to get the pasta to the tender stage – perhaps because I had such a large surface area? Not a problem at all, it came out perfectly.
I did not add the parmesan cheese, as it was plenty rich and cheesy already. Otherwise followed the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
It could have been or the type of pasta? What did you use? I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sarah!
JoNell
Oh my Kate, this is genius!!! It is deliciously creamy and cheesy. I sure wish I’d have had this recipe when my adult children were little since it’s such a great way to hide butternut squash, and who doesn’t love mac and cheese? Your recipes are amazing and your site is my go to when looking for recipes. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear you loved it, JoNell!