Butternut Squash Baked Mac 'n Cheese

If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit obsessed with butternut squash this fall. And this butternut squash mac 'n cheese recipe is ahh-mazing. It is the epitome of a comfort food and goes great with a nice glass of red wine, garlic bread, and/or tomato soup. There are also many ways to alter this recipe - I don't eat meat so I didn't mix in the bacon and instead served it on the side for all the bacon lovers, and I also think it would taste great if you wanted to add in broccoli and/or cherry tomatoes. It makes for a large serving (about 6-8 people) so there's plenty to go around and/or keep for leftovers or to freeze. Enjoy!

What You'll Need:
- 4 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
- 3 cups elbow macaroni
- 2 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 8 oz or 2 cups shredded cheese. I used extra sharp cheddar cheese but other cheeses that taste amazing with the butternut squash are Gruyere and fontina cheese.
- 8 slices bacon (optional)
- 2 small sweet onions, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- fresh parsley or sage
- fresh shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese to top

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly butter a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to directions, drain, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the squash and 2 1/2 cups of the milk over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork. (18-20 minutes).
4. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour into squash/milk mixture.
5. Stir in the 2 cups shredded cheese until melted and keep warm.
6. Optional: cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Crumble and set aside.
7. Cook chopped onions in skillet with olive oil until onions are a golden brown.
8. Add squash/milk/cheese mixture and onions (and optional bacon crumbles) to the macaroni bowl. Toss well to combine and then transfer to baking dish.
9. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese over dish.
10. Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top.
11. Bake until top is browned, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley or sage.