Vegetable of the Month: December = Squash

Winter Squash Bake

Makes four ½ cup servings

Ingredients
2 ½ Tablespoons Lightly Salted Butter
3 Tablespoons + 2 1/2 Teaspoons Chopped Raw Onions
3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons Packed Brown Sugar
½ Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
1/2 Teaspoon Rosemary
½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon + 7/8 Teaspoon Grated Parmesan
1 ½ Cups Winter Squash (Blue Hubbard, Butternut or Sugar Pumpkins all work well!)

Instructions
Preheat oven 350 degrees
Cut squash into 1inch cubes, removing outer skin
Melt butter in a pan
Add onions, cook until soft and translucent
Place squash cubes in pan or baking dish
Mix the broth with brown sugar, butter and onion - pour over squash
Cover with foil
Bake until liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour
Toss the cheddar cheese, bread crumbs, thyme and rosemary together
Spread over squash - top with parmesan
Return to oven uncovered, bake 15 minutes or until topping is slightly crunchy
Serve warm

This recipe was developed by the Beacon City School District’s Food Service Department as part of the Farm to School Program. There are lots of types of winter squash available on the market. Look for a sweet variety with lots of “meat” for this recipe!

Taste testing is an important part of our Farm to School Program. Families who sign up for remote meals will have a brief survey emailed to them where they can provide feedback on the recipe. Please take a minute to tell us what you think! The results will help us decide if we should serve this recipe again in the future.

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Butternut Mac'n'cheese

Makes four ½ cup servings

Ingredients
1 Cup Butternut Squash
2 Teaspoons Canola Oil
1 Cup Macaroni Elbow Pasta
1 1/4 cups + 1 Tbsp Low Fat or 1% Milk
1 ½ Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
1 ⅔ Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
½ Teaspoon Rosemary
⅓ Cup Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
4 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 420 degrees
Skin and cube the butternut squash in to 1 inch pieces
Coat with vegetable oil and roast for 30 min until soft
Mash or blend with 4-5 cups of milk to puree consistency
Let cool while you prepare the pasta and sauce
(You can roast squash a day in advance or whenever you have time)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Get water to a rolling boil and add pasta, boil until almost soft
Drain and rinse pasta- set aside
In a large pot, melt the butter and slowly add flour while stirring to make a roux
Add nutmeg to roux and continue to cook
Add remaining 1 tablespoons of milk to roux, whisk to remove lumps
Heat to boil while stirring so sauce thickens
Reduce heat to low, add squash mixture and rosemary
Add pasta and cheddar cheese, mixing well
When the squash, pasta and sauce are all mixed, transfer to a baking pan
In a small bowl, mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs
Top macaroni with breadcrumb mix
Bake in 350 Convection oven 25-30 minutes or until the top is browned and center is hot

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