Butternut Mac & Cheese
Serves 4-6 as a main or primary side
1 pound short pasta - radiatore and fusili are top choices
1 large or 2 small butternut squash
2 cloves fresh garlic
8 ounces fresh goat cheese - Capricho de Cabra is a favorite
sea salt, paprika and black pepper to taste
neutral oil for roasting
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut butternut squashes in half, cleaning interior of pith. Rub down with oil and season liberally and place cut side up on a sheet tray. Roast until almost tender and then flip face down until fully tender. About 20 minutes in, add the garlic - wrap the cloves in foil and add a few drops of oil before wrapping the packet up and roasting until tender. Total squash time will be around 40 minutes, garlic around 20.
Once the squash is tender, cook pasta until al dente in well-salted water. Reserve 1 cup pasta water for sauce before draining.
Let squash cool slightly before scooping flesh from squash into a medium bowl or pot. Add roasted garlic and goat cheese and let them mellow together until the cheese is softened. Add 1/4-1/2 cup pasta water to squash mixture and blend together - if you have an immersion blender, that’s the easiest way, but you can also transfer to a food processor or blender and process until very smooth.
Stir the cheese sauce into the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed to achieve your desired texture. Taste for seasoning and update the salt and pepper as needed.
Roast up some more veggies while the oven’s hot or saute some dark leafy greens and dinner is complete!