Pretty Delicious Life

1 Pre-heat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 While the oven pre-heats, chop your small acorn squash in half, then slice into rings or quarters. If you do not have a sharp chef's knife, a large serrated bread knife works well for cutting through the tough skin.
3 Arrange rounds/quarters onto a baking sheet, then drizzle with garlic infused olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper if using.
4 Bake squash for 25 minutes or until tender.
For the Roux/Mac + Cheese
1 While the acorn squash bakes, begin to gather your ingredients for the roux next and place a pot of salted water on the stovetop over medium heat, brining to a boil in preparation to make the fusilli.
2 In a large, deep saucepan add 2 tbsp of butter + 1 cup non-dairy milk + 1/4 broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring to help melt the butter and combine.
3 Once the butter is fully melted, add gluten free 1:1 flour, one tablespoon at a time, whisking vigorously to combine.
4 Mixture will begin to thicken. Continue to whisk, smoothing out any clumps of flour that may remain.
5 Next, add in cream cheese + shredded cheese, continuing to whisk until smooth. Once cheese is fully incorporated, add in spices and whisk some more ensuring there are no clumps.
6 While cheesey roux is just about finished, your pasta water should be at a rolling boil by now. Add entire box of Cassava Kitchen Gluten Free Fusilli pasta and allow to boil for 7-9 minutes; 7 will be a little more al dente, 9 will be more tender.
7 Continuing whisking cheese over low heat to keep it from solidifying while pasta boils.
8 As soon as pasta is ready, transfer it over into the cheese mixture using a slotted spoon. Do not drain pasta first; you'll want a bit of the pasta water to transfer into the cheese mixture to thin it out just a bit. Fold fusilli into cheese mixture with a slotted spoon.
For the Acorn Squash Bowls
1 The acorn squash should be ready to come out of the oven by now. Your last step is to add the pieces of squash to the fusilli and cheese mixture, folding in a few more times to combine.
2 If you're going to bake the mac + cheese in halved acorn squash bowls, continue on to next step. If not, devour and enjoy!
3 With oven still on 425F using the same baking sheet + parchment you roasted the squash rounds on, place 4 acorn squash bowls, with bottoms chopped off so they stand upright, like the below.
4 Fill each bowl with the mac + cheese, then top with gluten free bread crumbs. Cover in foil being mindful not to touch the foil to the mac + cheese to avoid sticking. Bake squash for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.