Mac 'n Cheese Stuffed Squash

Hello friends! I hope 2015 is finding you well. The past few months have been almost a blur for me. November and December found my fingers busily crafting away on Christmas gifts for husband’s family. I decided to make blankets this year as Christmas gifts and I had a wonderful time doing so. I also opened an Etsy shop in November. I’ve been plugging away at brainstorming and putting together Boxes of Sunshine. I’ve also been spending quite a few hours in front of my sun light fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD really hit me hard this year but thankfully the days are getting longer and my family has really been a support to me. I’m happy to say that I am feeling a little more like myself these days. I still have tough days when the sun disappears but I’m on the upswing!

This yummy macaroni and cheese recipe graced our dinner table back in November. As usual I forgot to halve this recipe so we had an overabundance of yummy leftovers. I have been on a quest to bring more vegetables into our weekly meal plan. It is easy to get into a vegetable rut (green beans and broccoli) when you aren’t a huge fan of most vegetables. I’m always doing what I can to not raise a picky eater so the more variety I can bring to the table the better. I wasn’t a huge fan of acorn squash when I was little so I tried this recipe to try and change my own mind. I’m happy to report it worked!

I did make a few changes to the recipe. I used dried sage instead of fresh but if you have fresh I’m sure it would be amazing. I used cheddar instead of the five cheese blend that was suggested. I just love extra-sharp cheddar. I also left out the apple. I understand why the apple was included in the recipe but I knew it wouldn’t work for my family. Unless you have a crowd I suggest halving this recipe.

As a mom I felt good serving this to my family. This recipe is really really easy to make. My family loved it. I liked that there was a serving of vegetables mixed in with the macaroni. I don’t hide any ingredients from little one. I’m upfront about the food I am feeding him so that we hopefully don’t have food issues down the road. Little one thought it was fun that the macaroni was served in half a squash. The Italian sausage made this an all-in-one dish. I added a side salad to round out our meal.

Enjoy!

4 acorn squash, cut lengthwise in half, seeded

¼ cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

2 pkg. (7-1/4 oz. each) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 Tablespoon dried sage

1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

Heat oven to 425ºF.

Shave a little squash off the bottom of the squash so that it will stand flat for serving. Brush the insides of squash halves with dressing then place, cut sides down, on a parchment-covered rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until tender.

While the squash cooks, prepare the macaroni and cheese in large saucepan as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, crumble the sausage into medium skillet and cook until done, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Scrape pulp from squash halves into large bowl, leaving ¼  inch thick shells. Add macaroni and cheese, sausage, and sage to the squash and mix well. Spoon mixture into squash shells and top with shredded cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until filling is heated through and cheese is melted.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/mac-n-cheese-stuffed-squash-166339.aspx