Spiralized butternut mac ‘n’ cheese

All of the comfort of warming macaroni cheese, with butternut noodles instead of pasta. Use this recipe as a base and experiment with other veggie noodles

Prep:30 mins
Cook:30 mins

Serves 6
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 431
fat 27g
saturates 17g
carbs 27g
sugars 11g
fibre 3g
protein 18g
salt 1.2g

Ingredients

50g butter
50g plain flour
1 tsp mustard powder
600ml milk
250g extra mature cheddar, grated
2 medium butternut squash (about 900g each), peeled, ends trimmed, halved and spiralized into thick noodles
30g Parmesan, grated
30g dried breadcrumbs
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
½ tsp cayenne

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted stir in the flour and mustard powder. Mix to a smooth paste and cook, stirring for 1 min.
Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Simmer for 3–4 mins, whisking constantly until the sauce has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar. Once melted, taste for seasoning, I like to add a generous grind of black pepper.
Put the butternut noodles into a large bowl and pour over the cheese sauce, mixing well so that every strand is coated in the sauce then tip into a large ovenproof dish (about 25 x 30cm). In a small bowl mix together the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, thyme and cayenne.
Scatter the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the butternut then bake for 20–25 mins until bubbling, crisp and golden.