Mac-n-Cheese Stuffed “Jack-O’-Lanterns”
The perfect pre-Trick-or-Treat meal idea!
The kiddos (and hubby) will never guess there’s a secret ingredient in this mac-n-cheese (it’s butternut squash… shhhh).
Listen, I’m a realist. What’s mac-n-cheese without cheese? Well, it’s not. It’s mac-n-boring.
Since I’m all about taste AND nutrition, I chose to upgrade this recipe by doing two things:
- Cut the cheese (hee, hee ?) in half and incorporate cooked butternut squash.
- Use chickpea pasta because of its rich fiber and protein content.
The orange peppers are raw and serve as a fun container for the meal…and also a great way to get your children to eat more veggies (don’t be surprised if they munch on it as they enjoy the contents)!
Adults…try adding a dash or two of hot sauce. Oh, and eating it out of a “Jack-O’-Lantern” is totally optional…but why would you not? ?
Happy Halloween my friends! ?

Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1 box Banza pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained
- 1 tbsp. Kerrygold butter
- 1 cup Red onion, sliced thin
- 5 cups Butternut squash, cubed (about one small) To save time, purchase peeled and cubed butternut squash!
- 5 cups Organic chicken broth
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened nut milk Almond, coconut, cashew, macadamia nut are all good choices.
- 1 tsp. Sea salt
- 2/3 cup Cheese I use a blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 4 large Orange bell peppers
Ingredients
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- Heat butter in skillet on low to medium heat and add onions. Saute for 15-20 minutes until fragrant and brown.
- While onions are cooking, remove the skin and seeds from squash and cut flesh into cubes (or purchase already peeled and cubed butternut squash). Bring broth to a boil in a large pot and add squash. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Drain squash, reserving 1/2 cup of broth. Add squash, reserved broth, milk, sea salt and cooked onions to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- Pour sauce over pasta, stirring to coat (see Recipe NOTE below). Stir in cheese and mix until melted throughout. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut tops off of peppers, clean out seeds and carve! Stuff each pepper “Jack-O’-Lantern" with equal amounts of mac-n-cheese and serve with stem on top. Enjoy! ?
This recipe makes a bit more sauce than you will need. No worries...store in an airtight container and refrigerate for later in the week.
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