Butternut Mac and Cheese

Oh the joy of mac and cheese...mmmm...from kids to adults this is most everyones favorite comfort food. There a tons of ways to make mac and cheese. Here is mine with a twist...and oh so good twist.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp Flour
1 cup of Veggie Stock
1.5 cups of milk of milk
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of shredded extra sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 cups of cubed Butternut Squash already roasted
1 lb of penne rigate or pasta with ridges


For those of you who are not familiar with roasting butternut squash here is an easy way to roast it:

• A butternut squash
• Some olive oil or butter
• Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay the butternut squash on its side and cut it lengthwise in half.  This can be tricky and sometimes dangerous, so be very careful when cutting.  It sometimes helps to have a kitchen towel underneath the squash to help stabilize it.
3. Take each of the halves and lay them on a baking sheet, cut side up.  If you have to nip a little off the rounded bottom part to make it flat so they stay still, by all means do so.Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard seeds.
4. Drizzle some olive oil over the open squash or add small dabs of butter all about it.  Sprinkle the salt over the surface.
   
5. Place the squash in the preheated oven and let it roast.  It should roast until it is soft and able to be easily taken out of the skin with a spoon (and if there is butter or sugar, that should also be melted and preferably just a little brown). This can take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour, depending upon the size of your squash.

 Now you have roasted butternut squash. Ok now back to our recipe:
Start with a medium sauce pot and melt the butter and saute the onions until they are transparent over medium heat; about 5 minutes.
Slowly added in the flour with a whisk and stirred till it was a thick paste. Once the flour was well incorporated into the butter and onions slowly pour in the veggie stock; whisking it while you are pouring it.
 Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes letting the mixture thicken. Turned the heat to low. Then whisked in the milk, nutmeg, and salt. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (if its too thick, you can always add a little more stock).

Next add the cheese in stirring till it is all melted. Add the squash. Now while you were making the sauce you should be also starting to boil your water for your noodles. when noodles are done mix sauce with noodles and serve!