Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese

Sometimes my 5-year old son comes home from school asking to “eat the food the other kids have.”  So I do my best to improvise, like the time I made him Apple Sandwiches.

Sometimes the other kids have Mac n’ Cheese and he’s asked about it, but I didn’t have any ideas for him then.  Mostly because I don’t tolerate dairy and eating classic Mac n’ Cheese is partly why I got sick in the first place ha-ha.

But a dairy-free version that still tastes good?  That’s an interesting idea…

That’s why I’m happy to have our friend Angela from Paleokitchenlab.com back to share another cool recipe, this time for Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese (including a dairy-free version).  Granted the dairy-free version isn’t quite the same… but it’s still a cool recipe that I can eat.

Woohoo!  I’ll be testing this out with my kids very soon 🙂

[Enter Angela]

Ingredients:

• 1 16-oz. Bag of Broccoli Slaw (Can make by shredding broccoli stalks or buy them pre-cut, or use kelp noodles or spaghetti squash)
• Pancetta (Italian Bacon) or Regular Bacon
• 1 Tsp of Sea Salt, Cumin and Paprika
• 2 Cups of Cooked Butternut Squash Flesh or Raw Butternut Squash Cubes (available pre-sliced at grocery stores)
• 1 Cup of Beef Bone Broth or Chicken Broth
• 1 Red Onion, Cubed

 

Directions:

• Cook the butternut squash in broth and add in spices (you can use other types of squash like delicata or kabocha if you like a sweeter flavor).  If squash is raw, then cook till soft and broth evaporates.  If squash is cooked, then use less broth and let it cook down till it forms a pasty consistency.
• Bake the broccoli slaw in the oven, tossed in olive oil (or if you tolerate dairy, use melted butter or ghee)
• Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (or until broccoli slaw is soft)
• In a pan, sauté red onion and pancetta (or bacon) in cooking fat of choice (you don’t need too much because bacon is naturally fatty)
• Add bacon/onion mixture to the butternut squash sauce and mix in
• Pour hot sauce over broccoli slaw

Note:  If you tolerate dairy, give it that cheesy flavor by adding a tablespoon of butter or ghee, a little bit of nutritional yeast or grated cheese.  But it’s quite tasty without it.

Enjoy this nutritious spin on a classic American dish.

[Enter Jordan]

Thank you again Angela!

Enjoy 🙂

– Jordan

Angela Privin is from http://diyhealthblog.com/ and emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine at the age of 5.  She speaks Russian, Spanish, English and Gibberish fluently.  She is a former journalist in New York City and battled IBS for years before evolving into a blogger/health consultant.  In her early 20s, she got Lyme Disease and was treated with massive doses of antibiotics and NOT followed up with probiotics.  She believes this is what created the bacterial imbalance in her gut that set the stage for IBS.  She loves to cook, but she can’t follow recipes.  You’ll see that she makes up her own as she goes.

Here’s her amazing recipe site:  www.Paleokitchenlab.com