Stovetop Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

One of the biggest ways we set ourselves up for failure when it comes to healthy eating is by focusing on the things we can’t have. Cut out processed sugar. Don’t eat as many carbs. No packaged foods. Cut back on the meat. Cookies are the devil. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Instead, we believe a much more successful mindset is trying to figure out how to add health to our diet. We call it the abundance mindset, and it’s how I approach every meal we make. When you focus on the fact that you get to eat all these veggies and whole grains and fruits and other good-for-you things, healthy eating suddenly doesn’t feel at all restrictive.

So let’s apply the abundance mindset to a classic winter comfort food—mac and cheese. Instead of removing stuff from it, how can we “boost” it to be a healthier, better-for-you version that still satisfies that need for something cozy and comforting? There are lots of ways to hack mac and cheese into a healthy dish, but this version is my personal favorite because it still looks exactly like the “real” stuff—thanks to a bright-orange sauce made from puréed butternut squash.

The squash adds in a ton of healthy fiber, vitamins, and minerals, thickens the sauce without cream, and makes the color bright orange, just like the stuff from the box. Combine the butternut squash with a few other healthy swaps (whole grain pasta, milk instead of cream, and just a touch less cheese), and you’ve got yourself some healthy comfort food! Serve it with a giant salad (abundance mindset, remember!), and maybe some lean protein, and that’s a dinner that everyone will be happy about. Enjoy!