Best mac and cheese ever

Butternut, Kale, and Pea Macaroni and Cheese

This mac and cheese recipe I originally saw on The Chew about a year ago. Since then, I have made it quite often and changed it a little each time. This recipe is very versatile and will be absolutely amazing with your special little spin on it. :)

In the past, I've made this with apple-wood smoked bacon. This truly does make a huge difference in flavor. If you eat pork, I would recommend adding it. The apple-wood smoked bacon just goes perfectly with the smoked Gouda cheese. If you do not however eat pork, you can always add a few chopped sardines when you're sauteing the onion, and it will give it the extra salty kick it needs. If you are vegetarian/vegan, just taste when you're close to the end and add more salt if necessary.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. whole wheat noodles (you can use whole wheat penne, rigatoni, macaroni, or even semolina pasta)

1 T olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups frozen butternut squash, chopped

3 T butter

3 T all purpose, unbleached flour

1/2 cup milk 

2 cups apple-wood smoked Gruyere cheese, shredded 

2 cups raw kale, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp (or more) chipotle powder 

1 cup bread crumbs or panko 

Directions:

Bring a pasta pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook pasta according to directions on the box and set aside.****before you drain the pasta, reserve about a cup of the starchy pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat a duch oven or any medium size, *oven safe* pan over medium-low heat and add oil. Chop your onion, garlic, and butternut squash while the pan is heating up. Add onions and saute until they become translucent. Then add garlic and saute for about a minute. The garlic does not need to saute long because it will continue to cook once you add the rest of the ingredients, and it's important not to burn it. Add the chopped butternut squash and stir. Once the squash is thawed and you can tell it's getting hot, add the butter. Stir around and keep the butter moving so it doesn't burn. Then add the AP flour and cook for about a minute, continuously stirring. Add your cold milk and stir until it's all mixed together. (This time I made it, I used vanilla almond milk. It was definitely okay to use, however  it made this dish a little sweeter than I would have liked. If you use a milk substitute, make sure you are tasting to see if you need to add additional salt.) Add the shredded cheese and cook until it has completely melted. At this point, I usually taste and see how I am doing on salt. Chop your kale and add it to the cheese sauce. Stir in and keep cooking until the kale has wilted. Once wilted, you can add the peas and the cooked and drained pasta. If the sauce seems too thick, add the pasta water you reserved. Then add the chipotle powder and stir. Top with bread crumbs and place under the broiler until it gets golden brown!! ENJOY!!