Buttercup Mac and Cheese with Horseradish

Sometimes it's good to be healthy. And sometimes it's good to have a big bowl of mac and cheese. Luckily I start feeling guilty if I'm just eating cheese and pasta so usually I spruce up my mac and cheese with some healthy stuff. (Besides, pasta is boring.) I used Buttercup squash because I like the nutty flavor but you could easily substitute butternut squash instead if you happen to have18 of them lying around anyway. (Right Suzanne??) The horseradish isn't overpowering in this, and it could easily take more if you're big on horseradish. I will definitely be adding more next time I make this.

Ingredients:
1 box of your favorite pasta
1 buttercup squash
1 sweet onion
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp mustard powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 cups (12 oz) horseradish cheddar* (see note), divided
Prepared horseradish*
Handful of pretzels

* Vermont may have horrible winters, but one thing we do have is lots of cheese. The Cabot creamery produces a horseradish cheddar that is very easy to find around here. If you cannot find a horseradish cheddar, simply use regular cheddar and add prepared horseradish as indicated.

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta and drain. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Using a good peeler, peel the buttercup squash. (I'm not kidding about the good peeler. Spend a few extra dollars and get a nice one. It will save you so much time and frustration. Right now I am using the Titan that comes with a julienne tool. It was $15 but so worth it.) (Not a Titan sales person.)

3. Put the squash in the microwave for five minutes to soften. When it is done, remove the seeds and chop into small pieces.

4. Chop the onion and saute 3 minutes or until it just starts getting soft. All you are doing here is taking a little of the bite out of it, but you want it mostly still in tact texture-wise.

5. Melt butter in pasta pot. Add flour, stir, and cook till thick and bubbly. Stir in mustard, salt and pepper. Add milk, stir, and cook till thick. Add 2 1/2 cups of the cheese, stir, and cook till the cheese melts and you have a creamy sauce. (If you are adding horseradish, now's the time to do it. If you are using plain cheddar, start with a tablespoon, taste, and add more. I'd probably go with two tablespoons, but you may like more or less. If you are using horseradish cheddar but want MOAR HORSERADISH, add more 1/2 TBS at a time.)

6.Combine your pasta, squash and onion in a casserole dish that's too small. Spill it everywhere, and then transfer what you can salvage into a bigger casserole dish. Resolve to get a new casserole dish that is somewhere near the middle of two and six quarts in size.

7. Mix these well, then pour sauce over the top. Stir thoroughly to combine. Cover and bake 30 minutes.

8. Meanwhile go all Hulk on your pretzels and make them crumbs. (Or put them in a food processor and pulse, but what's the fun in that?) Toss them with the remaining cheese.

9. When the 30 minute timer you definitely did not forget to set goes off, turn the oven to broil and sprinkle your pretzel-cheese over the top. Broil 5-10 minutes until the topping starts to brown a little.