Come December, it's easy to turn to pasta as a (nightly) dinner option. But incorporating vegetables into the mix nearly justifies the habit. Ellie's Macaroni and 4 Cheeses adds squash to the classic dish. Her recipe calls for frozen pureed winter squash, but since there are so many varieties available fresh right now, in-season acorn squash works well, too.

Roast the acorn squash with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper while you chop the other ingredients. For more flavor, we incorporated garlic, shallots, nutmeg and thyme into the sauce base, in addition to the recipe's powdered mustard and cayenne pepper.

The cheesy macaroni mixture is great fresh from the pot, but if you prefer yours baked like Ellie, sprinkle Parmesan and breadcrumbs on top and finish it in the oven for a browned, bubbling casserole.

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