Ugh, Mondays, right? I’m never ready for them. In fact, I spend all day Sunday dreading Monday morning. I love sleeping in and being lazy for just a little while. When you’re lazy like me, a slow cooker is your best friend every day of the week but especially on Mondays. I normally use mine to make breakfast so I can sleep in just a little later, but I love making dinner too.
The idea for a healthier slow cooker mac and cheese came to me last week when I needed to make something for a work potluck. I hate work potlucks. I either just bring my own food and go to be social or I try to bring something substantial enough that I can eat only that when there’s inevitably no other vegetarian options. This means I can never copout and be the one who brings the soda or some store bought cookies — I always have to put in thought and effort. Another obstacle is our lack of an oven at work (or even a sink!!!), so food either has to be cold, microwaved, or cooked in a slow cooker. I never want to give vegetarian food a bad image around people who eat meat, so I knew I needed a tasty recipe everyone would appreciate — mac and cheese!
Every slow cooker mac and cheese recipe I found had eggs (what?), canned milk, and also called for full fat milk, which you should know is NOT my kind of recipe. I took inspiration from my butternut squash mac and cheese to make this SUPER easy mac and cheese. If you don’t count seasonings, there’s only 4 ingredients you need to remember to grab at the store. There’s also no need to cook the noodles in advance. So easy, I’d trust Josh throwing this together 😉 The recipe makes a LOT of mac and cheese, see the notes in the recipe on how to cut it in half if you don’t have a lot of mouths to feed or want leftovers. This still isn’t the absolute healthiest dinner, but it’s a great better-for-you option.
Tagged with: Casserole • Egg Free • Hidden Veggies • Make Ahead • Slow Cooker • Soy Free • Vegetarian
I can’t believe I still haven’t tried mac and cheese with butternut squash yet, because I absolutely love that squash. This looks incredibly delicious, Kelly!
I ate about a big bowl of Mac & Cheese myself this weekend – sooo good! Love that this has butternut squash though!!!
Such creative ways to lighten this classic comfort food up!
Genius! I’ve never actually used butternut squash in mac ‘n’ cheese. Crazy, I know. But anything that can be made in a crockpot is a winner in my book 🙂
Love, love, love squash in my mac & cheese! This is dreamy! And perfect for me right now because my crockpot is my best friend!
About how big is one serving? 1 cup, 2 cups, etc.? Thank you!
I honestly didnt measure and just eyeballed it (because I wzs just that hungry haha). It will depend a little on the shape of the noodle, but usually 1 lb pasta = 8 c, plus we’re adding a couple cups of cheese. Best guess is this makes approximately 10 c and a serving size is 1c
Butternut Squash in mac and cheese is the bomb! You can never tell it’s healthy for you.
I’m on a huge butternut squash kick right now, so this looks amazing! Pinned!
My husband calls me “Sunday Tina” sometimes because I do exactly the same! Mondays are the worst. I love love love this dish! I’m all for anything having to do with mac and cheese, especially if it is healthier. Pinned to make. 🙂