Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Cheese Pasta

This is a spin-off of a recipe for "Healthier Mac N Cheese" by Food Network.  I took the basics and ran with it!

My daughter wanted to be in the picture, haha!  This recipe really is quite healthy.  I used all natural cheddar cheese (no colors, preservatives, rBHT), lowfat no-salt added cottage cheese, and frozen pureed butternut squash (it may have been acorn squash, I did a bad job labeling my frozen purees this year!)

Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Cheese Pasta

1 pkg Pasta, any shape, cooked
1 1/2 c Butternut squash, cooked and pureed
1 c. lowfat milk
1 T butter
3 T non-fat yogurt
1 1/2 c grated Cheddar cheese
1 c cottage cheese
1 bunch of spinach, wilted (stir in a skillet on med-low with a bit of olive oil until reduced by at least half)
salt & pepper (to taste, will depend on your cheeses)

Preheat oven to 400.

Put squash in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add milk, butter, and yogurt.  Stir until incorporated.  When puree begins to simmer, slowly add the cheeses, stirring constantly.  When all the cheese is melted and sauce begins to thicken, season with a little salt and pepper.  Taste, adjust seasoning.  (I used about 1- 1 1/2 tsp. of salt and a good pinch of pepper.  I also added 1 tsp of arrowroot powder because my sauce wasn't thickening fast enough and the baby was fussing!)

Gently stir in pasta and spinach until the sauce is evenly distributed.

Pour into a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, until nice and bubbly. Let cool for 10 min before serving.

Serve with a big salad! Yum!

Note: I think next time I will add more spinach, at least double.  It was good!