Healthier, Yummy Mac n Cheese!

Who doesn't love Mac n Cheese? Comfort food at its best! But, man, the calories just get you :(

I've recently been craving the comfort of creamy, cheesy mac n cheese but, being very much conscious of all my recent weight gain (~sigh!), I wanted a healthier version with lower calories. I saw a few recipes, and came across a few suggestions like use only 1/3 of the pasta or reduce the cheese and that's definitely not going to do it. I saw these couple of recipes where they used butternut squash instead and that definitely made sense. So, here goes... my experiment with a healthier version of an old favorite!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat elbow pasta: 2 cups
Cubed butternut squash: 2 cups
Broccoli florets: 1 cup
Part skim, shredded mozzarella: 1 cup
Whole wheat bread crumbs: 3 tbsp
Paprika: 1-2 tsps
Salt: to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 F
2. Bring water to a boil in a big saucepan. Add salt.  Add the butternut squash and boil for 5-10 minutes until the squash is tender. 
3. Transfer the squash to a blender and add broccoli to the same water to boil for 5 minutes until tender. 
4. Blend the squash until you get a smooth, creamy puree. Add half the cheese to it and blend once more. 
5. Bring water to a boil in a big saucepan. Add salt.  Add the pasta and boil for 5-10 minutes until it is al dente. Drain and set aside.
6. Mix everything in a big bowl and add the rest of the cheese, salt, and paprika. 
7. Transfer to a oven safe casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. 
8. Bake for about 20 minutes until the crumbs have browned. 

Your dish is ready to be served!