Healthy Kraft Inspired Mac n Cheese

Note: For a stronger/more intense cheese flavour, sub half the mozzarella for grated cheddar.

• Start by adding the peeled and cubed butternut squash to boiling water, timer set to 12 minuted.
• Add the butter to a medium saucepan on a low/medium heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour to form a past/roux. Gently heat and slowly stir in the milk, a gentle splash at a time to ensure there are no lumps.
• Reduce the heat so that the milk is gently simmering, this will allow the sauce to thicken. At this stage you can throw your macaroni into some boiling water, set the timer 1 minute shy of the cook time.
• When the sauce starts to thicken, reduce the heat to low and add the mustard, onion powder and garlic powder. Season with a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper. The butternut squash should also be ready at this stage so transfer the cubed squash into a blender to form a paste, use a splash of the cooking liquid to help blend. Also stir in the butternut squash puree at this stage.
• When the pasta timer goes off, reserve a mug full of pasta water and drain. Pour the macaroni into the creamy sauce and add the splash of pasta water. Fold in torn mozzarella to form the stringy, delicious mac and cheese. Don’t worry if it looks broken at first, as the mozzarella heats through it’ll melt and you’ll achieve that cheese pull. Serve with another pinch of salt (gotta balance out the sweetness from the squash) and lots of black pepper. Sooooo good.