Mac and 3-cheese stuffed squash
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Mac and 3-cheese stuffed squash
The sweetness of roasted squash or pumpkin balances perfectly with the sharp, salty cheese sauce in this twist on a classic mac and cheese, which uses an indulgent combination of cheddar, Stilton and pecorino. Baking in the shells adds a little seasonal pizzazz, but you can just pile the mixture into a baking dish if you prefer
Serves: 6
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
758Kcal
Fat
33gr
Saturates
18gr
Carbs
81gr
Sugars
9gr
Fibre
5gr
Protein
31gr
Salt
1.3gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 medium squash or mini pumpkins
- 2 tbsp smoked rapeseed oil
- 150ml vegetable stock, made with ¼ stock cube
- 50g butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 rosemary sprig, chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 8 sage leaves, chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 40g plain flour
- 700ml whole milk
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 100g extra mature cheddar, grated - use vegetarian cheese if required
- 100g Stilton*, crumbled
- 100g pecorino*, grated
- 500g dried pasta, such as macaroni or conchiglie
- 75g sourdough breadcrumbs
- a little flavourless oil
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Cut the squash or pumpkins in half and remove the seeds. Put in a roasting tin and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season well and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender. Remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the soft flesh, leaving a 1cm-thick shell all the way round. Weigh out 400g of roasted squash and put in a food processor with the stock. Blitz to a purée and set aside. (The remaining roasted squash can be used in soup or risotto, or as a vegetable mash).
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat; when frothing, add the shallots, rosemary and sage. Fry for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften, then add the flour and cook out over a low heat for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously as you do so, to avoid lumps. Add the nutmeg, bring to a simmer and cook for a further few minutes until thickened. Add the cheddar, Stilton and three-quarters of the pecorino and heat until melted. Finally stir in the squash purée and season to taste.
- Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, leaving it quite al dente, then drain and mix with the sauce. Spoon the mixture into the roast squash shells, still in the roasting tin. Combine the breadcrumbs, remaining tablespoon of oil and the rest of the pecorino and scatter this over the top (see ‘Get ahead’, if preparing in advance).
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Bake for 20 minutes. Toss the extra herbs with a little oil and scatter over the stuffed squash, then bake for a further 5 minutes or until the crumbs are golden and crisp and the sauce is bubbling.
