Bone Broth Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash
Get ready to cozy up with this Bone Broth Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash. It’s comforting, cheesy and made with bone broth for added protein and flavor!
If you’re looking for more cozy dinner recipes, check out other favorites like Cheesy Pumpkin Garlic Bread, Slow Cooker Turkey, Healthy Sloppy Joe Bowls, Honey Garlic Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner or Baked Butter Lemon Pasta Without Cheese.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Bone Broth Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Makes: 8 servings
- Main Ingredients: pasta, bone broth, white cheddar cheese, butternut squash
- Flavor Profile: cheesy, creamy
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils, gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: upgraded comfort food
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Comfort Food: This is elevated comfort food, so much better than store-bought mac and cheese!
- Bone Broth: I use bone broth to cook the noodles and also in place of milk. So added flavor and protein is infused into this macaroni and cheese.
- Easy Swap: It’s such an easy swap to use bone broth in place of water and milk!
- Creamy and Cheesy: This homemade mac and cheese uses both butternut squash and white cheddar cheese to make it insanely creamy and cheesy.
- Make Ahead Dinner: This is one my favorite recipes to meal prep as it tastes just as good warmed up as it does freshly made. Also try other pasta dishes like Mushroom Zucchini Baked Pasta or Butter Parmesan Pasta With Italian Sausage that are great to meal prep too!
I have become obsessed with adding bone broth into everything I possibly can. I love adding bone broth into recipes as it adds so much more flavor and gives dishes added protein. So, it’s no surprise that I’m adding it into this cozy homemade macaroni and cheese.
If you want to start adding bone broth into everyday recipes, check out more of my bone broth recipes like Yellow Curry Chicken With Bone Broth, Meyer Lemon Chicken Wild Rice Soup With Bone Broth, Sourdough Discard Bread With Bone Broth, Slow Cooker Pumpkin Stew, Organic Meatloaf With Bone Broth, Bone Broth Queso Dip, How to Make Turkey Carcass Soup With Bone Broth or 5 Ingredient Bone Broth Vegetable Soup.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I use Frankies 457 Artisanal Cavatelli Pasta. If you can’t get shells you can use penne or another kind of short pasta noodle too for this mac and cheese recipe.
- Bone Broth: I use Kettle and Fire beef bone broth, but you can also use chicken if you prefer.
- Cheese: I use white cheddar cheese, but you could use a different kind or a mix if you prefer.
- Butternut Squash: I use organic butternut squash puree, I love the Farmer’s Market brand as it’s just so easy to use. This makes the Mac and cheese extra creamy and it doesn’t taste like squash!
- Spices: I use a little onion powder and garlic powder for a little extra flavor.
- Basil: I like to top this with fresh basil, but this part is optional. You could also do some fresh thyme, parsley or another herb you like.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Tips for Bone Broth Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash
- I love using shell pasta, but any other small short pasta noodle would work too as they will hold the cheese well.
- I use Kettle and Fire beef bone broth, but chicken works too.
- While I use white cheddar cheese, you can switch it up and use your favorite if you prefer.
- You can add meat into this dish if you want, I like doing some fully cooked chicken sausages for ease.
- Add in cooked veggies if you like! You can sauté your favorite vegetables and add into the cooked macaroni and cheese. We like to add into broccoli, onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, or zucchini.
- I like to top with fresh basil, but this part is optional.
- To reheat you can add a little extra bone broth or splash of milk to make it extra creamy when reheated.
How to Make Bone Broth Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash
- In a 5-quart Dutch oven, add the bone broth and noodles.
- Grate the cheese.
- Bring to a boil and cook pasta until the noodles are cooked to your liking, about 10 to 20 minutes, this can vary depending on your stove and altitude. The bone broth will have reduced by a little bit, don’t drain it out.
- I use butternut squash puree from a can for ease, but fresh also works too.
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer and add in the butternut squash puree, grated cheddar cheese, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine to start to melt the cheese and butter.
- Add in the nutritional yeast and stir to combine completely.
- Stir and simmer until the cheese is completely melted and combined and you have a creamy pasta.
- Remove from the heat and serve with fresh basil.
Recipe FAQ's
You can use chicken broth or vegetable stock to cook the noodles in place of bone broth if you prefer. You can also use water, but if you use water you’ll need to drain off the excess water and add in some milk or cream when adding in the cheese until you get the desired consistency.
Cooking pasta directly in bone broth infuses the noodles with savory flavor while adding protein to the dish. Because you don't drain the broth, the remaining liquid and starch from the pasta also help create the creamy cheese sauce.
Not really! The butternut squash adds creaminess and a subtle sweetness, but the cheddar cheese, bone broth, and seasonings are the dominant flavors. It's a great way to incorporate an extra vegetable into homemade mac and cheese without a strong squash flavor.
Yes! You can use homemade butternut squash puree in place of canned puree. Simply roast or steam peeled butternut squash until tender, then blend until smooth. Measure out 7.5 ounces of puree for this recipe. Be sure the puree isn't too watery, as this can affect the consistency of the cheese sauce.
Yes! While I love white cheddar cheese in this recipe, you can use regular cheddar, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, or a combination of cheeses. I recommend grating your own cheese from a block for the smoothest, creamiest sauce.
Yes! I love adding broccoli, onions, mushrooms or zucchini into this dish. You can sauté up any veggies you like and fold them into the cooked mac and cheese. It’s a great way to use leftover vegetables too.
Yes, I love adding fully cooked chicken sausages as it's very easy. You can also add in fully cooked chicken breasts or deli lunch meat like ham or turkey. This is also a great recipe to add in leftover holiday ham or turkey as well.
Yes! Simply substitute your favorite gluten-free short pasta, such as shells or elbows. Because gluten-free pasta can cook differently and release more starch, keep an eye on the cooking time and add more bone broth as needed. I like to use Food to Live Chickpea Pasta, it's my favorite gluten free option.
A grainy cheese sauce can happen when cheese gets too hot or doesn't melt evenly. Be sure to reduce the heat to low before adding the grated cheese, and stir gently until melted. Freshly grated cheese generally melts more smoothly than packaged shredded cheese, so it's best to grate your own for this recipe.
Yes! This is a great recipe to make ahead for busy weeknights or meal prep. Store the cooked mac and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When reheating, add a splash of bone broth to help loosen the cheese sauce and make it creamy again.
Yes, but the texture may change slightly after freezing. Cheese sauces can sometimes separate or become grainy when thawed. If you want to freeze leftovers, store them in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently with a splash of bone broth.
Serving Ideas
- We like to add fully cooked chicken sausages in this for added protein.
- Serve with a side salad like Simple Cranberry Kale Salad with Homemade Dressing, Simple Green Salad with Homemade Dressing or Kale Apple Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing.
- Love appetizers with this like Cheesy Pumpkin Garlic Bread, Lemon Herb French Fries, Garlic Lemon Sweet Potato Fries, Pumpkin Spice Sweet Potato Fries, Chinese Five Spice Garlic French Fries or Organic Dill Dip With Sour Cream.
- Enjoy with fresh bread like Sourdough Discard Bread With Bone Broth, Sourdough Crescent Rolls, Sourdough Irish Soda Bread, Sourdough Irish Brown Bread With Guinness, Lemon Rosemary Sourdough Bread, Organic French Baguettes With Instant Yeast or Honey Butter Dinner Rolls.
More Bone Broth Recipes
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Bone Broth Mac and Cheese with Butternut Squash
Equipment
- 5-Quart Dutch Oven
- Box Grater
Ingredients
- 8 cups beef bone broth
- 1 pound Cavatelli pasta
- 7.5 ounces butternut squash puree
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 ounces white cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- In a 5-quart Dutch oven, add the bone broth and noodles.
- Bring to a boil and cook pasta until the noodles are cooked to your liking, about 10 to 20 minutes, this can vary depending on your stove and altitude. The bone broth will have reduced by a little bit, don’t drain it out.
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer and add in the butternut squash puree, grated cheddar cheese, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine to start to melt the cheese and butter.
- Add in the nutritional yeast and stir to combine completely.
- Stir and simmer until the cheese is completely melted and combined and you have a creamy pasta.
- Remove from the heat and serve with fresh basil.
Video
Notes
- I love using shell pasta, but any other small short pasta noodle would work too as they will hold the cheese well.
- I use Kettle and Fire beef bone broth, but chicken works too.
- While I use white cheddar cheese, you can switch it up and use your favorite if you prefer.
- You can add meat into this dish if you want, I like doing some fully cooked chicken sausages for ease.
- Add in cooked veggies if you like! You can sauté your favorite vegetables and add into the cooked macaroni and cheese. We like to add into broccoli, onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, or zucchini.
- I like to top with fresh basil, but this part is optional.
- To reheat you can add a little extra bone broth or splash of milk to make it extra creamy when reheated.
Nutrition
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