“This is a ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ kind of recipe, borne from isolation, scant ingredients, an oversupply of kimchi, and sheer hunger,” writers recipe developer and cookbook author Hetty McKinnon. “Yet this unconventional one-pot approach also happens to be one of the simplest ways to prepare mac and cheese. Starchy pasta cooking water mingles with melted cheese to create a creamy, gooey sauce that still feels light. Kimchi and sharp cheese are a natural pairing (have you tried adding kimchi to your grilled cheese?) and combine harmoniously with butternut squash to deliver that irresistible triumvirate of flavors: spicy, savory, and sweet. You could use sweet potato instead of squash, or even add a bunch of spinach or kale leaves to bring some greenery to the dish. Keep this dish vegetarian by using a vegan kimchi, but if you don’t have dietary requirements, any type is fine.”
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 - 6 Servings
½
1
1
1
2
1
4
1
1
4
Preparation
Step 1
Peel ½ small butternut squash (about 1¼ lb.) and cut flesh into ½" cubes. Peel and finely chop 1 onion. Using the flat side of your chef’s knife, crush 1 garlic clove, then peel and finely chop. Coarsely chop 1 cup kimchi (some kimchi juice is okay; no need to drain).
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and kimchi and cook until kimchi is starting to brown and stick to bottom of pot, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add squash to pot and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring halfway through, until squash is tender (a paring knife should pierce flesh easily), 6–8 minutes.
Step 4
Remove lid and stir in 1 lb. elbow macaroni, shells, cavatappi, rigatoni, or other short pasta, along with 4 cups vegetable stock or water. If using water, add 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt (if you broth isn't very flavorful, you may want to add a bit of salt too; start with 1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt). Cover and bring to a simmer; cook until pasta is al dente and most of stock is absorbed (you want some starchy liquid left in pan), 6–8 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, grate 1 lb. sharp cheddar on the large holes of a box grater. Trim and finely slice 4 scallions.
Step 6
Reduce heat to low and add cheese to pot; stir until cheese is melted and gooey, about 2 minutes. Season mac and cheese with a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper and scatter scallions over.
How would you rate One-Pot Kimchi and Squash Mac and Cheese?
Leave a Review
Reviews (121)
Back to TopOnly okay for me. Overall not that flavourful, even with ekstra (raw) kimchi op top. Not bad, but would take a regular mac n cheese over this any day. I don't hate it, but I wouldn't make again.
Helena
2/15/2024
Would make again but with several changes: 1. Ditch one pot method. Pasta took way longer to cook and needed more water for me. 2. double kimchi, yes, but cook half as dictated, and add half in when finishing. Cooked kimchi loses a lot of flavor 3. blend butternut squash and cheese together for cheese sauce. I don't like the chunks of squash when I'm eating... Would recommend additional accoutrements like chili garlic sauce, maybe gochujang
Caroline
Texas
10/31/2023
I have made this pot many times. I think it's great, and does the family.
Rod
Tacoma, WA at present.
10/20/2023
LOVING these recipes with kimchi (like the kimchi quesadillas!!) Veganized this by using nutritional yeast & a few slices of vegan cheese. DIdn't have butternut so used white sweet potatoes. Will be in our rotation for sure.
Michelle
Manzanita, Oregon
9/3/2023
Excellent every time! Definitely increase kimchi amount. Really great gluten-free too!
LB
Melbourne, Australia
1/9/2023
WHY DOES THE RECIPE KEEP DISAPPEARING!?! I have signed in 4 times and haven't even started cooking.
Joan C
2/21/2022
One of my favorite recipes !!! We roast and blend the squash ahead of time for more consistent texture results and add korean bulgogi because we are not vegetarian + serve with siracha. Love this dish.
Rebecca K.
New London, CT
2/16/2022
Reallly enjoyed this recipe! I made it without reading the comments, so used the amounts as written. I had a lot of leftovers, so what I ended up doing the next day is chopping up some more kimchi and garlic, sauteeing it in a pan for a few minutes (like in step 2 of the recipe) then mixing that into the reheated mac and cheese. It was really good!! In fact I think I might do something similar when I make this recipe again -- add the extra garlic/kimchi in at the very end when mixing in the cheese.
SAC
2/10/2022
So great! ❤ double the kimchi. I like it cheesy so ended up with pretty much the same amount of cheese as the recipe. Best mac n cheese I've ever had!!! 🙌
Sky C
2/3/2022
This is ridiculous. I'm so glad I only made half the recipe because I would have happily (and regrettably) sat down in front of a vat of it and eaten the entire thing. Would I make this again? Yes. Yes. 1,000 times: YES.
Rachel Roszmann
San Francisco
2/1/2022
Yum! Like most of the other comments, I reduced the cheese by 50% and it was still plenty cheesy. I also increased the kimchi by ~50% because I wanted to finish off the open jar. I had to use frozen butternut squash but it worked fine.
Anonymous
1/30/2022
I love the combo of kimchi and cheese. It’s wonderful but this recipe needs way more salt and way more kimchi. You cook the kimchi so much you can’t even tell it’s in there. I honestly would even dbl the amount of kimchi. And season accordingly all the way through.
Taylor Galindo
Los Angeles
1/26/2022
Kimchi and cheese, what a combo! Love this recipe, especially its one-pot attitude. I agree with other commenters that this recipe is very adaptable. In the end I doubt I used a pound of cheese, but certainly follow your own heart when it comes to that. I also added shallots, lots more garlic and kimchi than called for, I had some good looking mushrooms in the fridge so I chopped them up to come along for the ride, and I chopped up and stirred in a bunch of spinach towards the very end. More veggies more texture! Ah and I got more spice by adding gochugaru before the noodles and broth. Will be making again and adapting again based on whatever is in my fridge.
Sus
Pittsburgh, PA
1/11/2022
Honestly surprised me how well this worked and how easy it was. I meant to cut the cheese by half per other reviews and accidentally misread and cut it down to 1/4 and it was still good so I can only imagine a whole lb would be a little crazy. I’ll go for the half next time. Also plan to mash my squash before adding pasta to make that more of sauce than chunks (my squash took longer to cook than advertised but nothing crazy) and add in some green veggies for a little added nutrient boost. Might also increase the kimchi by half again but that’s just about how flavorful your kimchi is. I think the recommended additions from other reviewers of black bean paste or gochujang for a little extra umami would be lovely but didn’t have on hand.
BananaMartini
Elkins Park, PA
12/31/2021
Incredibly easy to make. Used a roast cauliflower instead - I'm sure the squash can be substituted with just about any vegetable/mushrooms you have in the fridge.Added gochujang. Used very little cheese, just enough to make the starchy liquid bind the pasta together. I think there was too much pasta though. Will adjust proportions next time so I get more vegetables.
Sam
Singapore
11/23/2021