Altered from Cooking Light Magazine
3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1 1/4 cup (5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 pound uncooked Barilla Cellentani or Barilla Elbow Macaroni
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Stir until combined.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle panko and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray.
6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately.
*Barilla is my personal favorite but any brand macaroni can be used. I used the whole butternut squash, which was about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds. I think if you stick with 1 pound of butternut squash it will be harder to detect the squash flavor. You can easily make this all in one pot by preparing the pasta and as it is draining you can do Step #2 in the same pot. Then before you mix the pasta with the sauce, rinse it again in hot water to separate and stir/shake to remove as much water. Some of the reviews complained about it being too dry, although other reviews said it was perfect so the above are adjusted measurements and I did not find it too dry. If you make this ahead of time to bake for the next day it may tend to be dryer. In that case I would increase the milk, broth, Gruyère and pecorino Romano a tad more. It might be fine though.
