The Pioneer Woman's butternut-squash mac and cheese was easy to make and the perfect combination of autumnal flavors.Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images; Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI tried making Ree Drummond's baked butternut-squash mac and cheese.The Pioneer Woman's recipe calls for roasted butternut squash, onions, and breadcrumbs.The recipe was tasty, though I found the onions more prominent than the squash.Fall isn't far away now, so it seemed like time to try making one of my favorite autumnal dishes: butternut squash mac and cheese.Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman, is known for her family-friendly comfort food recipes. I decided to try her butternut squash mac-and-cheese recipe.The simple recipe, which takes less than an hour to make, would be perfect for an early fall or cooler weeknight dinner after a long day at the office. It also requires only a few low-cost ingredients, making it a cost-effective option for a large crowd — or a lot of leftovers. I spent about $43 on the ingredients for the recipe, but I needed to buy some pantry staples you might already have on hand, like butter, milk, and flour. The recipe is also intended to feed 12 people, so it comes out to less than $4 per serving if you had to buy every ingredient.Here's how to make Drummond's butternut-squash mac and cheese, which has become one of my new go-to fall dinners.I started by prepping my butternut squash.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderInstead of pre-cut cubes, which I usually buy, Drummond's recipe calls for a whole butternut squash cut in half.I found it surprisingly easy to cut the squash. You only need one half of the squash, so after cutting it, I set the other half aside for another day.I removed the seeds from the hollowed-out part of the squash with a spoon.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderThis only took a minute but required some vigorous scraping to remove all the seeds and guts from the butternut squash.After preheating my oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I placed the prepped squash on a baking sheet and drizzled it with olive oil.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI then cooked it until it was fork-tender and slightly browned, according to Drummond's instructions. This took about 30 minutes. While the squash was roasting, I started cooking the onions.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderThe recipe calls for two sliced yellow onions. I added them to a large, oven-safe skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter. I cooked the onions, stirring them occasionally, until they were a deep golden brown.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderThis took about 15 minutes but was easy enough to do. I also loved how the rich onion scent filled my kitchen — even my roommates commented on how good everything smelled. After the onions were done, I set them aside on a plate.While the onions and the squash were cooking, I made the macaroni.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI boiled the macaroni until it was al dente, then drained it and set it aside in the colander. The recipe calls for 12 ounces of macaroni, so I used about three-quarters of the box. After about 30 minutes, the roasted squash was tender and ready to remove from the oven.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI let it cool slightly before I began removing the butternut squash with a fork.Using a fork, I easily scraped out the soft flesh of the squash.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderAfter transferring the scraped-out butternut squash into a medium-sized bowl, I mashed it lightly with a fork. I found that the squash was already so tender that it didn't require much mashing to reach the desired consistency. After the squash was done and set aside, I prepared the sauce in the same skillet I used to cook the onions.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderTo get started, I added 4 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melted it over medium-high heat. The sauce calls for 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI used medium-sharp cheddar, but you can use whichever cheddar cheese you prefer. I also hand-grated my cheese, rather than buying it pre-shredded in a bag — I think you get a better flavor this way and it melts much better, but you can use whichever method you prefer.Once the butter was melted, I added the flour, cheddar cheese, and butternut squash.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI combined the ingredients by folding them with a wooden spoon. I slowly added 2 cups of whole milk, stirring as I went.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI added the milk bit by bit, folding the sauce together to evenly distribute the ingredients.Once the sauce was done, I added the cooked macaroni.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderI used my wooden spoon to fold the macaroni into the sauce, making sure it was well-mixed.Then I added the cooked onions and stirred everything together.Erin McDowell/Business InsiderMixing the onions evenly into the mac and cheese took some effort, since they tended to clump together in certain spots. After a minute or two of gently folding everything together, thoug
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