Sausage Mac & Cheese

Name: Sausage Mac & Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups dry elbow pasta (8 oz, cooked per box instructions); 1 lb. seasoned pork sausage (or ground beef); 1 tbsp. flour; 2 tsp. ground cumin; 1 tsp. chili powder; 1 tsp. salt; 1 cup 1% milk; 8 oz. shredded sharp cheese (divided); 2 large eggs (lightly beaten); 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes (drained); 1 cup butternut squash (cooked); 1/3 cup light sour cream

By: Jodi / Updated on: December 3, 2021 / 31 Comments

Sausage Mac & Cheese is a healthy kid-friendly dinner idea packed with veggies. Made with butternut squash, tomatoes, and loads of cheese, this is a family favorite!

Total Time 30 minutes

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Sausage Mac & Cheese is a healthy kid-friendly dinner idea packed with veggies. Made with butternut squash, tomatoes, and loads of cheese, this is a family favorite!

This Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta is one of my family’s favorite pasta meals. I am not going to lie – I was a bit hesitant about making a butternut squash sausage pasta recipe…

Butternut Squash and Sausage Mac & Cheese shown in a white bowl with a fork.

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The creaminess of the sauce with the tender noodles and bold spices makes this recipe irresistible.

How To Make

Preheat broiler.
Brown pork sausage in a large oven-safe sauté pan, drain and return meat to pan.
Stir flour, cumin, chili powder, and salt into cooked pork sausage.
Over medium-high heat, slowly add milk, stirring well.
Add 4 ounces of cheese, stirring until melted.
Turn heat off. Whisk in eggs.
Turn heat to medium-low and cook until thickened, stirring constantly about 2 minutes.
Add drained tomatoes, sour cream, and squash.
Add cooked pasta, mix well. Top with the rest of the cheese.
Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese being made in a black cast iron pan with browned meat and spices.

Start by browning the meat in a cast-iron pan. Cast iron is ideal for this recipe because it is also oven safe, which will come in handy later in the recipe.

INGREDIENT SWAP: You can swap the pork sausage with turkey sausage, Italian sausage, or chicken sausage. Spicy pork sausage is also a great swap.

Next, drain the meat, add back to the oven-safe pan and sprinkle on the spices and flour.

CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE GLUTEN FREE?

Yes! Instead of sprinkling on the flour, use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Check out these step-by-step instructions on How to Thicken a Sauce with Cornstarch if needed.

By using cornstarch & gluten-free noodles, you will have a gluten-free version of healthy kids Mac & cheese.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese being made in cast iron pan with milk being added to the ground meat mixture.

After the spices are added, slowly stir in milk. Then, continue to stir as the sauce thickens.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese being made in a cast iron pan, shredded cheese is added the the ground meat mixture in the pan.

This is a great step to let your kids help if they are running around the kitchen waiting for dinner. Encourage your kids to stir slowly so the sauce does not splash.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese being made in a cast iron pan, whisked eggs are being added to the ground meat mixture in the pan.

Next, add half of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar is used because of its strong flavor. However, feel free to use you favorite cheese variety in this recipe.

After half the cheese has been added, turn the heat off.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese being made in a cast iron pan with sour cream, tomatoes, and butternut squash being added to the mixture.

Whisk eggs in a small bowl and then add the eggs to the meat mixture, stirring constantly until well blended.

Next, stir in the sour cream, tomatoes, and butternut squash until well blended.

DO YOU USE CANNED OR FRESH BUTTERNUT SQUASH?

I use both since canned or fresh work great depending on the schedule. Keeping a can of squash in your pantry to turn to on busy nights is helpful.

If using fresh squash, you can cook squash on stove, in a crockpot or in an instant pot. Choose the cooking method that works best for you!

I encourage you to try the butternut squash in this recipe at least once for your family to try. If needed, the butternut squash can be eliminated at this step for a traditional Mac & cheese recipe.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese being made in a cast iron pan. Elbow noodles are added to the meat mixture.

Next, stir the cooked pasta into the butternut squash skillet. Then, top with the remaining shredded cheese. Lastly, place the cast iron skillet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

If desired, add other toppings to the top of this delicious healthy kids Mac & cheese:

Caramelized onions
Bacon bits
Broccoli florets
Hot sauce
Bread crumbs
Roasted garlic

Butternut Squash and Sausage Pasta Recipe shown close up in a cast iron pan.

If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below! Then follow me on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. I love seeing what you come up with!

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