What To Do With It Edition : This Is So Gouda!

I often wonder what I would be like on the show Chopped. I think it would be just so much fun. Sometimes, I’ll have my husband create a ‘basket’ and I love the challenge.

Because I meal plan and have groceries delivered, I find myself less and less in the grocery store. There are times I miss it, so will go - just to walk around, get inspiration, or see what new items are on the shelves. Every so often, I’ll pick up an ingredient that is super interesting and I’ll challenge myself to incorporate it into one of the already outlined dishes, or wrap a different recipe all around the new item.

Enter this cheese I picked up from whole foods. I am hooked for life. It’s called 3 Chile Pepper Gouda, and it’s from Roth Cheese. First of all, gouda - enough said! Then, the addition of chiles to bring that slight heat… they’ve nailed this for sure! Why this cheese? Well, if it didn’t land in a recipe then I was just going to simply enjoy it with wine and crackers! Anyways, this week’s challenge was Butternut Squash. As lovely and fall as this veggie is - it can become… boring when we cut in in cubes and roast it for the 5,000th time. I wanted to wake it up, and also transform it into something excitingly different. I thought of macaroni and cheese, then found this specialty cheese and it was a perfect combo!

Check out my instagram highlights labeled ‘Pastas’ for step by steps, or follow along below:

Butternut Squash 3 Chile Pepper Gouda Mac

What You’ll Need:

-1-1.5# butternut squash - peeled, seeded, cubed

-1 small yellow onion - quartered

-4 large garlic cloves - smashed

-kosher salt

-olive oil

-1 (14.5 oz) can chicken stock

-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

-1.5 cups milk

-8 ounces 3 chile pepper gouda (or whatever cheese you like)

-1 # pasta

-(pepper) - I did not use in my recipe because I didn’t think it needed it, but if you use a different cheese just taste at the end and add if you like!

-parmesan cheese - for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.

On a foil lined sheet tray, lay squash, onion, and garlic in an even layer. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and olive oil.

Roast until starting to caramelize - this could be anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on size of squash.

Once squash, onion, and garlic are done, transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add in chicken stock. *Roasted veggies could be made up to a day in advance, it’s ok if veggie mixture and stock are cold.

Transfer mixture to sauce pan and turn heat to medium. Bring to a gentle simmer, add butter and mix.

Add in milk, stir to combine and return to simmer.

Add in cheese, stir well to really incorporate and melt the cheese.

Start boiling water for your pasta, cook pasta based on instructions on box or bag. Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the liquid in case you want to thin out the cheese sauce. Drain pasta, and return to pot until sauce is done.

Taste sauce for seasoning (salt + pepper) and add as needed. Turn heat off, and ladle desired amount of sauce into pasta. Stir and mix well! Transfer to serving dish or plates and top with a dusting of fresh parmesan cheese. Enjoy while hot!