Mac and 3-cheese stuffed squash recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

The sweetness of roasted squash or pumpkin balances perfectly with the sharp, salty cheese sauce in this twist on a classic mac and cheese, which uses an indulgent combination of cheddar, Stilton and pecorino. Baking in the shells adds a little seasonal pizzazz, but you can just pile the mixture into a baking dish if you prefer

Sarah Akhurst

Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill

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1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Cut the squash or pumpkins in half and remove the seeds. Put in a roasting tin and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season well and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the flesh is very tender. Remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the soft flesh, leaving a 1cm-thick shell all the way round. Weigh out 400g of roasted squash and put in a food processor with the stock. Blitz to a purée and set aside. (The remaining roasted squash can be used in soup or risotto, or as a vegetable mash).
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat; when frothing, add the shallots, rosemary and sage. Fry for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften, then add the flour and cook out over a low heat for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously as you do so, to avoid lumps. Add the nutmeg, bring to a simmer and cook for a further few minutes until thickened. Add the cheddar, Stilton and three-quarters of the pecorino and heat until melted. Finally stir in the squash purée and season to taste.
3. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, leaving it quite al dente, then drain and mix with the sauce. Spoon the mixture into the roast squash shells, still in the roasting tin. Combine the breadcrumbs, remaining tablespoon of oil and the rest of the pecorino and scatter this over the top (see ‘Get ahead’, if preparing in advance).
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Toss the extra herbs with a little oil and scatter over the stuffed squash, then bake for a further 5 minutes or until the crumbs are golden and crisp and the sauce is bubbling.