Spice up your mac and cheese with a hearty squash mixed with twisty cavatappi. Plus, this recipe uses three unique cheeses, grana padano, asiago and fontina, to really heighten the flavor and make you crave for more.
Heat the oven to 400°F. Peel and cube the squash. Place the cubed squash on a baking sheet, drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of Colavita Olive Oil and roast it in oven until soft — about 25 minutes.
Remove the squash from the oven and allow it to cool. In a food process or blender, purée the roasted squash with 1 cup of Rachael Ray Low Sodium Chicken Stock.
In small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the blended squash with two more cups of chicken stock. Add the salt, nutmeg, and ground pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low.
Add the fontina cheese to the saucepan and stir so that the cheese melts into the squash.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. Cook the cavatappi in the salted water until al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain the pasta and drizzle it with 1 tablespoon of Colavita Olive Oil.
Return the cooked cavatappi to the now empty pot and add in the squash mixture along with the grated Asiago cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Gran Padano cheese.
Lightly grease a 9x12” baking dish with Colavita Olive Oil. Pour in the pasta mixture.
In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon of Colavita Olive Oil and the remaining gran padano cheese. Mix with your hands to combine.
Pour the topping over the mac and cheese and cover with foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and increase the heat to 425°F. Bake another 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve immediately, with more fresh parsley and grated Gran Padano for garnish.