3 cheese butternut squash mac and cheese

i tried this recipe a few weeks ago with new zealand cheddar, gouda, gruyere and parmesan. and it was good, but didn't have the bite or richness that i was craving. this time around i tried with extra sharp cheddar, gouda and blue cheese, and it was to die for.

i taste the cheese mixture as i am grating in order to get a good balance. i am not a fan of blue cheese so i do not want the blue cheese to overpower the cheese sauce, but i do like the bite of flavor that it adds.

1c heavy cream

1 1/2c rice milk

4tbsp butter

2 bay leaves

1 pound pasta, shells or ditalini

3tbsp flour

2- 2 1/2c grated cheese blend

(i used 1/4 - 1/2c blue cheese, 1 - 1 1/2c cheddar, 1/2c gouda)

freshly ground black pepper

salt

paprika

panko bread crumbs

optional: 1c butternut squash, cubed and baked until tender

pine nuts

1. preheat oven to 400

2. cube your butternsquash, grease a pan with grapeseed oil and bake until tender.

(bake while preparing the rest of the ingredients)

3. grate your cheeses into a cup or bowl

4. boil your macaroni for 2-4 minutes less than suggested cook time

5. combine the milk, cream and bay leaves in sauce pan over medium heat untilsmall bubbles appear along the sides. pour into empty bowl, remove bay leaves and let cool

6. in same sauce pan melt butter until foamy then whisk in flour.

7. stir in milk and cream mixture, add cheese mixture and whisk until smooth. add black pepper and salt to taste

8. remove butternut squash from over and spread over the bottom of a 9x13inch glass baking dish

9. spread macaronis out over butternut squash

10. cover with cheese sauce (and additional  grated cheese if desired)

11. pour desired amount of panko bread crumbs over entire mixture

(i don't like the bread crumb topping to be too thick, so i do a very light coating just for crunch)

12. sprinkle lightly with paprika (and pine nuts, if desired)

13. bake until topping browns, about 15-20 minutes @ 400 degrees