Name: Protein mac and cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6, or 8 smaller portions
Ingredients: 100 g (about 3/4 cup small cubes) Peeled, seeded butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1/4 cup (60 ml), plus a splash only if needed Whole milk; 1 teaspoon (5 g) Unsalted butter; 1 pound (454 g; two 8-ounce boxes) GOODLES Curveballs, or small shells or elbows; 1 tablespoon (15 g) Unsalted butter; 2 level tablespoons (15 g) All-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) Whole milk, for the sauce base; 1/4 cup (60 ml) Warm whole milk, for mixing the cheddar powder; 46 g White cheddar cheese powder; I used Hoosier Hill Farm; 1/4 teaspoon Dry mustard powder; 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon Onion powder; 46 g (about 1 5/8 ounces) Deli American cheese, torn into small pieces; 70 g (about 2 1/2 ounces) Medium cheddar, freshly grated from a block; 1 to 4 tablespoons, as needed Extra warm whole milk, to loosen the finished sauce; About 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1 teaspoon Morton Kosher salt, for 4 quarts pasta water; no added salt in the cheese sauce

Protein mac and cheese

GOODLES Curveballs in a silky cheddar sauce with butternut squash, American cheese and cheddar powder. Creamy stovetop mac with the color and flavor kids expect.

Published Oct 20, 2026

Servings

6, or 8 smaller portions

Total time

About 50 minutes

Mac and cheese day. No excuses.

You're the Lunch Lady, and it's mac and cheese day. You've got to show out.

We were trying a new cheese sauce and a new pasta. That's a little scary when you're feeding a whole school. I wanted GOODLES Curveballs for the protein and fiber. When I ordered, they were half the price on Amazon, but there was a ten-box limit. So my family started ordering. Friends started ordering. We got enough boxes to make it work.

The sauce was the hero. I went back and forth on the butternut squash, and I'm so glad it went in. I wanted that silky, velvety feel, a little sweetness and the orange color kids expect from mac and cheese. The squash gave the sauce body, and the cheese still came through.

It delivered. This might have been the kids' favorite lunch so far. Lots of clean plates.

What goes into the sauce

The American cheese helps everything melt smoothly. Cheddar powder gives it that familiar mac and cheese flavor, and freshly grated cheddar finishes it. Keep the heat gentle once the cheese goes in. Boiling is how you lose that smooth texture.

GOODLES lists 11 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber per 2-ounce dry serving of Curveballs. Those numbers are for the pasta itself, not a calculated serving of this finished dish. Regular small pasta shells or elbows work here too.

Instructions

Put the squash and 1/4 cup milk in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring just to a gentle simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring along the bottom every few minutes, until every piece crushes easily with a fork. The milk will not cover the squash. If the bottom starts to dry out before the squash is soft, add milk a tablespoon at a time. Do not let it scorch.
Blend the soft squash with all its cooking milk and the 1 teaspoon butter until completely smooth. For this small amount, use a small blender or a narrow cup that lets an immersion blender's blade stay submerged. Follow your blender's instructions for hot liquids. Set the purée aside. Start heating a pot with about 4 quarts water for the pasta.
Melt the 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly and keeping it pale. Slowly whisk in the 1 1/2 cups milk, starting with a small splash and adding more as the mixture becomes smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring and scraping along the bottom, until slightly thickened with no raw-flour taste.
In a cup, whisk the cheddar powder into the separate 1/4 cup warm milk, adding the powder gradually. It will be a thick paste. Whisk this into the sauce with all the squash purée, mustard, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat gently until smooth, then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Let any bubbling stop before adding the cheese.
Stir in the American cheese a little at a time until melted. Take the pan off the heat. Add the grated cheddar in several small handfuls, stirring until each melts before adding the next. The sauce should be smooth and flow off a spoon. If needed, add extra warm milk a tablespoon at a time. Do not boil the finished cheese sauce or add salt to it.
Salt the boiling pasta water and add the pasta. Stir well at the start and regularly as it cooks. Follow the box's timing, tasting about a minute before the earliest listed time. Drain when just tender with a little bite. Do not rinse. Have the sauce ready before draining so the hot pasta can go straight into it.
Return the drained pasta to its pot off the heat and fold in about 3 cups of sauce. Add the remaining sauce as needed to coat every noodle generously. If it tightens up, stir in a small splash of warm milk. Taste with a noodle and serve right away. Cucumber wedges and applesauce were our sides at school.

Protein mac and cheese

Mac and cheese day. No excuses.

What goes into the sauce

Watch it in the kitchen