Macaroni Cheese With Butternut Squash

Macaroni Cheese With Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

300g Dreamfields low-carb macaroni

200g butternut squash

125ml chicken stock

1tbsp olive oil spread

1tsp anchovy paste

Put a large pot of water on to boil over a medium high heat. Give the water a good salting. Once it’s hot enough to create big, fat, moving bubbles, add the macaroni. Stir immediately after adding the pasta and occasionally during the cooking process to ensure it doesn’t stick or catch. Boil the macaroni for 7 minutes; you want it ever so slightly underdone as it will cook further when it goes in the oven with the sauce. While the macaroni is cooking get on with the sauce - it will only take about 7 minutes to make if you get a move on.

Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds. Cut it into quarters (you’ll need about half a squash).Cut the quarters into slices about as thick as a pound coin, otherwise it will take too long to cook. Boil for 7 minutes in lightly salted water.

Melt the margarine in a frying pan, sprinkle in the flour and whisk. Let the flour cook for a minute - this is crucial to cook off its gluten-y flavour. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, then add the milk and mustard powder. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Let the sauce reduce until it’s the consistency of heavy cream, which should take about 3 minutes. Whisk constantly. Once the squash is soft, drain it and mash or blend until it is pureed and lump free. Add the squash to the sauce and stir well.

Preheat the oven to 180 C/gas mark 4. Grate the cheddar cheese over the large holes on a box grater. Stir the cheese into the sauce.

Drain the macaroni in a sieve: give it a good shake to get all the water out and then pour into the sauce. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish that has been given a squirt of non-stick cooking spray.

Pop the casseole in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve.