Spicy Chili-Veggie Mac-n-Cheese

I love mac-n-cheese.  We don't eat it very often (because it's not very healthy...) but when we do have it I try to include some veggies so it isn't quite so bad.  I also cut out the heavy cream/half and half that a lot of recipes call for and use skim milk (sometimes a combination of milk and chicken stock).

I also love sloths.  I accidentally uploaded this picture that I found online before... and decided to leave it.  Don't you just love that face?

I recently bought a huge butternut squash (5 lbs!).  I diced and roasted all of it and used some in a butternut squash risotto last week (which was also delicious... Just a regular risotto with the roasted squash mixed in toward the end).  I had some left over and so I mixed that into the cheese sauce for this meal.  It was delicious.

This didn't taste like squash.  The cheese sauce was really creamy and rich without being overly fatty.  A perfect compromise. The yellow squash made the sauce look even more cheesy than it was.  If I hadn't put the peppers and onions in here, it probably would've been next to impossible to tell that there was veggie in it.  :)

I cooked the onions and peppers earlier in the day when I didn't feel like doing much else.  Then it was a snap to bring everything else together at dinner-time.

I thought this had a decent amount of spice in it.  But of course Jeremy didn't think it was spicy.  Maybe I shouldn't let him eat the raw chile tops that I cut off... might be getting him too used to eating chiles.  Not that it's really a problem.

We had a salad to go with this so that we added some extra veggies and cut down on the amount of cheese we ate at one meal.  We didn't end up finishing the whole dish of mac-n-cheese.  We probably have another 2 servings in the fridge for another meal.

The whole lovely casserole dish. 

My serving... my eyes are bigger than my stomach.  I ate probably half of that and Jeremy ended up finishing it (along with his serving that was larger than this to begin with).  He really liked this mac-n-cheese. 

Recipe:
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 c. butternut squash, diced and roasted*
chile peppers, minced (amount up to you, to taste)**
1 box (13.25 oz) whole wheat elbows (or whatever pasta you want)
7 oz. sharp cheddar, grated, divided
4 oz. parmesan, grated (approximately 1/2 c.), divided
2 tbs. margarine
2 tbs. AP flour
2 c. skim milk
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. parsley flakes, divided
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a large skillet.  Saute bell peppers, onion, and chili peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper until tender, 5-7 minutes.  Set aside.
2. Blend squash and milk (in a blender or food processor) until smooth.
3. Mix breadcrumbs, 1/4 c. cheddar, 2 tbs. parmesan, and 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes.  Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add salt (about 1 tsp.).  Cook pasta just shy of cooked (it will finish in the oven).  Drain and set aside.
3. While the water is coming to a boil, melt margarine in a medium saute pan.  Add flour and whisk until smooth.  Cook for 30 seconds until bubbly.  Add squash mixture and mix well.  Add chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and cayenne.  Add parmesan and cheddar in small handfuls and whisk until incorporated (make sure each handful is fully melted in before adding the next).  Season with salt and pepper to taste (I added probably 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt).
4. Combine pasta, pepper/onions, and sauce and mix well.  Pour mixture into an oven-safe casserole dish.  Top evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes (uncovered) until lightly brown on the top.

* If you don't have pre-roasted squash, roast the squash as directed below approximately 1 hour before you're ready to begin making the mac-n-cheese.  That way it has time to cool before you blend it.

Directions to roast squash: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and dice the butternut squash.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1-2 tbs. vegetable oil and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.  Mix to combine.  Roast for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.  (Time will depend on the size of the dice.)

** I used 5 chile peppers from a mixed variety we bought at the public market.  I don't know what peppers I used... although looking at pictures makes me think I had 1 chile de arbol, 3 numex twilights (from what I can guess from looking at pictures), and 1 that was longer and green-yellow-orange (absolutely no idea...).  You can use jalapenos or whatever mix of peppers you like.  You could go with none... but then it wouldn't be spicy.  Or you could substitute by putting more cayenne pepper or hot sauce into the cheese sauce.