Butternut Squash Macaroni or Faux Mac 'n Cheese

Okay, this one is an amazing and accidental stumble of a dish I made while visiting my sister in Brooklyn. It was dinnertime, she had pureed some butternut squash (after roasting it) for baby food and her little babe, the ridiculously cute baby Abe, didn't like it. So we had some quinoa pasta, we had some butternut squash, and I was feeling inventive.

What the dish resulted in was sort of a miracle of flavor combinations. The squash was so creamy, and with the accidental dashes of this and that spice-wise, it started to take on a cheesy taste as well. We pretty much cleaned up the whole pot (even though it should serve at least 4). and I really hope you like this experiment-gone-right as much as I do.

Happy cooking and happy (healthy!) comfort food eating!

Ingredients

1 box pasta (I used quinoa pasta macaroni elbows - highly recommend!)
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree (or canned butternut squash) - I cut a squash in half, placed it face down in a big baking dish filled with about 1 inch of water and baked at 375 for about 40 mins. A can of squash should work just fine too
1 1/2 tablespoons of ghee or butter (or grapeseed oil for vegan friends)
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp of oregano
1/2 tsp of sea salt (or more to taste)
2 cloves very finely minced garlic or 1/2 TBSP garlic powder

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking, organize other spices and finely chop garlic
Drain pasta and before adding back to the pot, use the SAME pot to heat up the garlic and ghee, stirring for about 1 minute (careful not to burn), add squash puree, and other spices, and stir on low for about another 2 minutes, heating all ingredients without burning
Add pasta back to pot of squash sauce, mix well, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Enjoy!