N'duja Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

This n'duja butternut squash mac and cheese combines the rich flavors of sharp cheddar and gruyere with the warmth of spicy n'duja and the sweetness of butternut squash, creating a dish that's both comforting and exciting.

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Recipe

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N'duja Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: pasta, pork

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

• 4 ounces n'duja
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 sage leaves
• ½ cup panko
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ cups milk
• 1 cup butternut squash puree
• 4 ounces grated sharp cheddar
• 3 ounces grated gruyere
• 8 ounces shell pasta

Instructions

• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add n'duja and break into small chunks using a wooden spoon. Continue to heat n'duja until it starts to sizzle and breakdown. Remove 1 tablespoon and set aside. Turn off the flame and set aside pot while you make the breadcrumbs.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Continue to heat butter until it browns and smells nutty. Add sage and heat for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add panko and stir to coat breadcrumbs in butter. Heat until breadcrumbs turn golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in reserved 1 tablespoon n'duja. Set aside.
• Return to the other pot and turn back flames to medium heat. Add flour to pot with n'duja and stir to combine. Pour milk and butternut squash puree and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer and continue to heat until the milk starts to thicken, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add sharp cheddar and gruyere, stirring until cheese is melted. Season sauce with salt and pepper and keep warm on low heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and add to cheese sauce, stirring to coat pasta. Serve mac and cheese into bowls and top with brown butter n'duja breadcrumbs.

Notes

You can prepare the breadcrumbs up to 5 days in advance.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Cook n'duja

What's great about this n'duja butternut squash mac and cheese is that it's a stovetop mac and cheese. That means you make the sauce, add the pasta, and voila, it's done.

I don't have anything against baked mac and cheese, but I prefer this quicker method. In fact, when I was working as a private chef preparing lunch for 50 people daily, this was my go-to method for mac and cheese.

If you have never heard of n'duja before, it's a type of spicy pork sausage that's spreadable, similar to a paste. It can be difficult to find and a little on the pricier side, so if you're looking for a substitute, I recommend chorizo.

Heat a large pot and add the n'duja. The sausage paste has enough fat in it that you don't need to add oil to the pot. Continue to heat the n'duja until it starts to break down.

Since the meat is preserved and fermented, you can actually eat it straight from the package. However, its texture also allows you to cook it and lets you incorporate those wonderful flavors into dishes.

Now, remove 1 tablespoon of the crumbled n'duja and set it aside.

Step 2: Make breadcrumbs

In a separate pan, melt butter until it turns deep golden and smells nutty.

Add fresh sage leaves and release their flavors into the butter. Then, add the panko, stirring to coat. If you have fresh breadcrumbs, I highly recommend using them. But I went with the shortcut and used panko instead.

Once the panko turns golden brown, remove it from the heat and stir in the reserved crumbled n'duja. Set aside the breadcrumbs while we return to the pasta.

Step 3: Prepare sauce

Let's go back to the pot with the rest of the n'duja and stir in flour, tossing to coat. The flour will help thicken the sauce. Add the milk and butternut squash puree and let the sauce thicken.

Finish the pasta sauce with sharp cheddar and gruyere and season with salt and pepper. This sauce is thicker than regular mac and cheese sauces because of the butternut squash puree. You can add more milk if you like a thinner sauce.

Next, cook your pasta of choice until al dente. I used pasta shells, but any small-shaped pasta will work.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and toss until well combined. Portion the n'duja butternut squash mac and cheese and top with a generous sprinkle of brown butter n'duja breadcrumbs.

This recipe made enough for 4 people, and somehow, I ended up eating the entire batch by myself (over the course of several days!). I very much looked forward to having another portion the next day, because yes, it was that good. And I look forward to the next time I make this mac and cheese!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can make the mac and cheese sauce the day before and gently reheat it before tossing it with the pasta. The sauce will thicken as it cools; add a splash of milk to loosen the sauce before reheating.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

More comforting pasta recipes

Looking for more comforting pasta ideas? Try these: