Paleo Mac N Cheese Featuring Butternut Squash

Squashes are abundant this time of year and are one of fall’s greatest comfort foods. One year I served this Butternut Squash “Mac n’ Cheese” dish as a Thanksgiving side and it was gobbled up!

It might be hard to imagine that butternut squash can rival the comforting creaminess of Mac N’ Cheese, but when mixed with spices, lemon juice and bone broth, butternut squash takes on the rich and creamy texture and makes a tempting sauce.

If you eat dairy you can add cheese to this dish to give a cheesier flavor or use nutritional yeast if you are dairy free. This version of the American classic won’t bloat your waistline but will add more veggies and gut-healing broth to your day and a smile to your face. It is, after all, a very healthy indulgence.

Paleo Mac N Cheese Ingredients

1 Pint of homemade beef bone broth

10 ounces of broccoli slaw

10 ounces of butternut squash

1/4 cup of cubed Pancetta (Italian bacon) or regular bacon

1/4 cup of red onion diced

Salt, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric and paprika to taste

Juice of half a lemon

For a more cheesy flavor add a few ounces of cheese or 1 to 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

Directions

Toss the broccoli slaw with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake for half an hour at 350 (you can substitute spaghetti squash for the slaw)

Saute the red onion and bacon in butter in a separate pan.

Cook cubed pieces of butternut squash in bone broth until soft enough to mash. You can also bake a whole butternut squash in the oven, scoop out the soft flesh and mix it in a bowl or pan with hot bone broth.

Add spices, nutritional yeast (or cheese) and lemon juice to the butternut squash sauce.

Add in the sauteed onions and bacon to the sauce and mix in. You can add hot water to the mixture to get the sauce consistency just right. As thick or thin as you like it.

Pour the butternut squash sauce over the broccoli slaw and enjoy.

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