Claymates
As temperatures start to dip and the first hint of color emerges from the leaves, we’re on the lookout for the kind of recipes that feel like being wrapped up in a warm, cozy quilt.
Our current Community Partner, Equal Plates Project, is an Asheville based-nonprofit that knows a thing or two about making nourishing, comfort food. Equal Plates Project exists to support local farmers, address food insecurity, and build community through scratch-cooked meals, and we were thrilled when they offered to share one of their favorite, seasonal recipes with us.
This butternut mac and cheese embodies what Equal Plates Project is all about—incorporating locally-sourced, fresh ingredients into delicious, nourishing, and culturally relevant dishes.
Last season as an experiment, they asked their farm partner, Full Sun Farm, to grow tons of butternut squash. As a great storage crop, it would allow them to center a local product in their meals even throughout the winter.
The experiment went well to say the least. The farm yielded such a big harvest that Equal Plates Project received 200 pounds of butternut every week from September through April.
Faced with an abundance of winter squash, Executive Director, Madi Holtzman, had an idea: to try the butternut mac and cheese hack she remembered from her days at The Nashville Food Project.
Since Equal Plates Project shares meals with emergency shelters, veterans, low-income seniors, folks navigating homelessness and families involved with the justice system, their meals not only need to provide nourishment, but also comfort and accessibility. But their biggest hope is that the people who eat their meals feel all the love and respect they put into cooking the food.
The butternut in this dish adds beautiful texture, color, and flavor, and of course, a valuable punch of nutrients. We’re putting this recipe on rotation throughout the season!
