Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

We recently hit a place in Hampton called Six, while I thought that it had great food, I was not impressed with their Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. I thought that theirs had no flavor and was really plain. I was determined to make my own and make it taste like something other than just pasta with a bland cheese sauce. Here is what I came up with....

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

1 pound of butternut squash
3 tablespoons of fresh thyme
2 shallots, diced
1/8 cup of olive oil
1 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
2 1/2 cups of good cheddar cheese (I used Black Diamond)
3 sage leaves, diced
1 box of elbow macaroni

Roast squash at 400 degrees for 30 minutes with olive oil, thyme, salt, pepper, and shallots. Remove squash from oven and let cool, but keep the oven on. When squash has cooled put squash into a food processor, add chicken broth and cheese and puree. Cook pasta according to directions on package and drain. In a casserole dish mix cheesy squash and pasta. In a small skillet take a little bit of olive oil or butter and add sage cook until the sage is crispy and fried. Top mac and cheese with bread crumbs and sage oil or butter. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake the mac and cheese for 30 minutes. Serve with ham or chicken and enjoy.