I made Ree Drummond’s simple butternut squash mac and cheese. One surprising ingredient made it especially flavorful.

Instead of pre-cut cubes, which I usually buy, Drummond’s recipe calls for a whole butternut squash cut in half.

I found it surprisingly easy to cut the squash. You only need one half of the squash, so after cutting it, I set the other half aside for another day.

This only took a minute but required some vigorous scraping to remove all the seeds and guts from the butternut squash.

I then cooked it until it was fork-tender and slightly browned, according to Drummond’s instructions. This took about 30 minutes. 

The recipe calls for two sliced yellow onions. I added them to a large, oven-safe skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter. 

This took about 15 minutes but was easy enough to do. I also loved how the rich onion scent filled my kitchen — even my roommates commented on how good everything smelled. After the onions were done, I set them aside on a plate.

I boiled the macaroni until it was al dente, then drained it and set it aside in the colander. The recipe calls for 12 ounces of macaroni, so I used about three-quarters of the box. 

I let it cool slightly before I began removing the butternut squash with a fork.

After transferring the scraped-out butternut squash into a medium-sized bowl, I mashed it lightly with a fork. I found that the squash was already so tender that it didn’t require much mashing to reach the desired consistency. 

To get started, I added 4 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melted it over medium-high heat. 

I used medium-sharp cheddar, but you can use whichever cheddar cheese you prefer. I also hand-grated my cheese, rather than buying it pre-shredded in a bag — I think you get a better flavor this way and it melts much better, but you can use whichever method you prefer.

I combined the ingredients by folding them with a wooden spoon. 

I added the milk bit by bit, folding the sauce together to evenly distribute the ingredients.

I used my wooden spoon to fold the macaroni into the sauce, making sure it was well-mixed.

Mixing the onions evenly into the mac and cheese took some effort, since they tended to clump together in certain spots. After a minute or two of gently folding everything together, though, I was able to distribute them evenly throughout the skillet.

After melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl, I added half a cup of seasoned Panko breadcrumbs. 

I baked the mac and cheese in the skillet until the edges were a deep golden brown and the breadcrumbs were toasted.

When I served the mac and cheese with a spatula, I could see the onion interspersed throughout the dish underneath the layer of crispy pasta.

I’ve made baked mac-and-cheese recipes by celebrity chefs Ina Garten and Martha Stewart in the past, but I much preferred this recipe. I thought the onions packed a ton of flavor, though I do believe they could have been almost too flavorful.

The sautéed onions were the most prominent flavor in the dish, overshadowing both the butternut squash and cheddar cheese with their rich, buttery taste. If I made the recipe again, I’d use fewer onions so the other ingredients could stand out more.

The texture, however, was a highlight. The thick, cheesy sauce made the dish feel especially creamy and indulgent, while the toasted breadcrumbs on top provided a satisfying crunch.

The recipe said it made 12 servings, but that estimate seemed generous based on the portion I served myself. I’d expect the dish to feed closer to eight people with similarly sized portions.