Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large of pot of salted water to boiling on high. Using a sturdy knife, cut off and discard the squash ends; peel the squash. Separate the neck and bulb; halve the bulb lengthwise. Remove and discard the pulp and seeds; small dice. Cut off and discard the rind of the Fontina cheese; small dice. Pick the sage leaves off the stems; discard the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Quarter and deseed the lemon.

Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserving 1¼ cups of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly; rinse under warm water to stop the cooking process. Rinse and wipe out the pot.

While the pasta cooks, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the squash; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Remove from heat.

In the pot used to cook the pasta, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until golden. Add the milk and reserved pasta cooking water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, whisking frequently, 2 to 4 minutes, or until slightly thickened. (If the sauce seems too thick, add up to ¼ cup of water.) Add the Fontina cheese. Cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until combined. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the filling, off the heat, stir the cooked pasta and cooked squash into the pot of béchamel sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and sage. Stir in enough olive oil to moisten the mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Evenly spoon the mixture over the filling. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes before serving.

While the casserole stands, to make the vinaigrette, squeeze the juice of all 4 lemon wedges into a small bowl; season with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, almonds and cranberries; season with salt and pepper. Add as much of the vinaigrette as you’d like (you may have extra). Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve with the baked casserole. Enjoy!