The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for the Creamiest Mac and Cheese

I always keep a box of pasta in my pantry and several kinds of cheeses in my fridge. That means that when I have no idea what to make for dinner, I usually end up making mac and cheese. When I’m short on time, it’s former culinary director Kenji’s three-ingredient stovetop mac and cheese, which is simple, satisfying, and takes just 10 minutes to whip up. But when I have the luxury of time and want to go all out—whether for my own family or for a holiday party—I’ll prepare a rich, creamy baked macaroni and cheese, complete with a crispy, buttery breadcrumb topping. Recently, my Birmingham, Alabama-based test kitchen colleague Julia Levy inspired me to try something different: a luxurious autumnal take on baked mac with butternut squash mixed right in with the pasta.

In addition to baked and then puréed butternut squash, Julia's recipe calls for not one but three different kinds of cheese: fontina, extra-sharp cheddar, and Gruyère. Each cheese plays a role—the fontina adds silkiness, the cheddar a wonderful tanginess, and the Gruyère its signature nuttiness—and they work together to complement the naturally sweet and earthy flavors of the butternut squash. Before being baked, the casserole is topped with buttery sage breadcrumbs for a crispy topping that tastes and smells like the holidays.  The result? A delicious, comforting casserole that my friends and family are already requesting on repeat. And even more great news: The casserole can be prepped and refrigerated or frozen days (or months) in advance, making it perfect for getting ahead on holiday cooking. 

6 Keys to Making the Best Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

1. Use ripe butternut squash. For the sweetest flavor, reach for a ripe gourd. Unfortunately, you can’t tell a squash’s ripeness by touch, but it should feel heavy for its size and sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles—and when you cut into the squash, the flesh should be a deep orange color.
2. For easier slicing, microwave your squash first. Butternut squash can be large and unwieldy. To make it easier to halve, use a fork or sharp paring knife to poke holes all over—then place the gourd on a large plate and microwave on high until just tender enough to cut through easily, three to five minutes. Once it’s cool enough to handle, you can slide your knife right in to halve the squash.
3. For the creamiest mac and cheese, use a béchamel sauce as your base. As our editorial director Daniel wrote in his béchamel recipe, this luscious French sauce is basically “just milk that’s been thickened with a roux made from roughly equal parts of butter and flour,” with a touch of salt, black pepper, and grated nutmeg stirred in. As fancy as the sauce sounds, it’s very simple to prepare: Make the roux by whisking flour into melted butter, then slowly and gradually add your milk. Simmer until thickened, season to taste, and that’s all there is to it.
4. Add a touch of mustard. To cut through the richness of the cheese and provide a balanced flavor, we incorporate a touch of Dijon mustard, which gives the pasta a nice sharpness.
5. Go all out on the cheese. We originally started with fontina and extra-sharp cheddar, but felt that the mac and cheese needed additional oomph. Though we were worried that Gruyère would make the casserole slightly too funky (if that's really possible), it gave the pasta a pleasant nuttiness that complemented the squash’s sweet and earthy flavor, taking it from “great” to “holy cow, this is awesome,” according to one taster. Have a favorite cheese you want to use? Feel free to use it in place of any of the cheeses—just make sure it’s a semidry cheese like Swiss, Comté, or emmentaler. Avoid moisture-heavy cheeses, such as fresh mozzarella or goat cheese, which may result in a waterlogged casserole.
6. Top it with a buttery panko mixture. Mac and cheese is delicious on its own, but it’s even better when you garnish it with a topping of herby panko breadcrumbs tossed in butter. As the casserole bakes, the breadcrumbs become golden brown and crisp, giving each bite a satisfying crunch.