I’m BACK from Blissdom and I have SOOOOO many things to share with y’all. Like so many my head may explode. True story.

I’m taking today to regroup and get all of my thoughts on paper…before I forget it all. I promise I’ll be sharing my experience soon so stay tuned.

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*Author and House of Rose Contributor, Kristina from Bella Mia Blog.

This dish makes my family very happy, but more importantly my daughter loves this dish; and she has no idea there’s vegetable mixed in!

I’m sure she’ll eat macaroni and cheese many many times in her life, so might as well sneak a veggie in while I can. I love watching her say “Mmm yumm.”  Please enjoy and fingers crossed your kiddo loves it too!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into cubes (this makes a lot)
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 8 ounces mild cheddar, grated
• any small sized pasta cooked, as needed
• 1/2 cup yellow squash puree

Instructions:

In a medium pot, melt butter and sauté onion over medium heat until onion becomes soft and translucent.

Add flour, while stirring, and cook for 2 minutes.

Whisk in hot milk. Whisk well to avoid any clumping.

Bring to a boil. Milk will thicken. Whisk often to prevent any burning. Reduce heat, add nutmeg, and simmer for 5/6 minutes. Continue to whisk to prevent burning.

Whisk in cheddar cheese. Simmer an additional 2 minutes.

Serve: Toss hot pasta and sauce together. You may need to thin sauce with a splash of water if the mixture is too thick.

Some notes {and a shortcut}:

**This can keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. I have cooked this using boxed mac-n-cheese and a cube of the butternut squash puree from the freezer. The cube will melt into the cooked macaroni and cheese. If you don’t have the time to make your own butternut squash puree you can always use the prepared version out of the jar {no judging here}.  We are all busy moms and the least we can do is try, try, try, and try to get those nutrients in their tiny growing bodies.

**I roast my butternut squash cut in half, drizzled with a little olive oil, and baked at 400 degrees for 60-75 minutes. I spoon out the flesh when cooled and place in a food processor or blender with water or milk and puree until smooth. You can store these in the freezer using ice cube trays or a container made especially for freezing baby food.

To see more wonderful kids recipes visit Kristina at Bella Mia Blog.