Review: Ree Drummond’s Butternut-Squash Mac and Cheese

Instead of pre-cut cubes, which I usually buy, Drummond’s recipe calls for a whole butternut squash cut in half.

I found it surprisingly easy to cut the squash. You only need one half of the squash, so after cutting it, I set the other half aside for another day.

This only took a minute but required some vigorous scraping to remove all the seeds and guts from the butternut squash.

I then cooked it in the oven until it was fork-tender and slightly browned, according to Drummond’s instructions. This took about 30 minutes. 

The recipe calls for two sliced yellow onions. I added them to a large, oven-safe skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter. 

This took about 15 minutes but was easy enough to do. I also loved how the rich onion scent filled my kitchen — even my roommates commented on how good everything smelled. After the onions were done, I set them aside on a plate.

I boiled the macaroni until it was al dente, then drained it and set it aside in the colander. The recipe calls for 12 ounces of macaroni, so I used about three-quarters of the box. 

I let it cool slightly before I began removing the butternut squash with a fork.

After transferring the scraped-out butternut squash into a medium-sized bowl, I mashed it lightly with a fork. I found that the squash was already so tender, it didn’t require much mashing to reach the desired consistency. 

To get started, I added 4 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melted it over medium-high heat. 

I used medium-sharp cheddar, but you can use whichever cheddar cheese you prefer. I also hand-grated my cheese, rather than buying it pre-shredded in a bag. I personally think you get a better flavor this way and it melts much better, but you can use whichever method you prefer.

I combined the ingredients by folding them with a wooden spoon. 

I added the milk bit by bit, folding the sauce together to evenly distribute the ingredients.

I used my wooden spoon to fold the macaroni into the sauce, making sure it was well-mixed.

It took a little bit of effort to mix the onions in evenly throughout the entire skillet of mac and cheese — I found that the onions wanted to clump together in spots. However, I was able to distribute them throughout after a minute or two of folding and mixing. 

After melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a bowl in the microwave, I added half a cup of seasoned Panko breadcrumbs. 

I baked the mac and cheese in the skillet until the edges were a deep golden brown and the breadcrumbs were toasted.

When I served the mac and cheese with a spatula, I could see the onion interspersed throughout the dish underneath the layer of crispy pasta.

I’ve made baked mac-and-cheese recipes by celebrity chefs Ina Garten and Martha Stewart in the past, but I much preferred this recipe. I thought the onions packed a ton of flavor, although I do believe the onions could have been almost too flavorful.

I thought that the butternut squash and cheddar cheese were both overpowered by the sauteéd onions, which cut through everything with their buttery, rich flavor. I would use less next time to achieve a better balance. However, I really enjoyed the texture of the dish, thanks to the thick, cheesy sauce and the layer of toasted breadcrumbs that added the perfect amount of crunch.

The recipe was supposed to make 12 servings. However, I’m not sure it actually yielded that many servings. Based on what I served myself, I anticipate it would actually serve around eight people.