This Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese is the perfect comforting dish for fall. Pumpkin puree and nutmeg, add a delicious twist to this classic. Serve for dinner with vegetables or protein.
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It’s pumpkin season, and everyone is looking for pumpkin-related recipes. This pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese is one of my favorites because it is so creamy, cheesy, and comforting. You won’t want to stop eating this delicious twist on a traditional classic!
Use this Roasted Whole Pumpkin to make homemade puree or this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- This delicious creamy pumpkin mac n' cheese is comforting, flavorful and delicious.
- If you have leftover pumpkin puree during fall, this is a great way to use leftovers.
- You can double or triple this recipe to feed more people.
- Serve this dish with Quick Cauliflower in Air Fryer, Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts and Quick Crispy Air Fryer Carrot Chips.
Ingredients
This recipe is not too different to regular mac ‘n’ cheese. The only additional ingredients are pumpkin puree and tomato puree. For this recipe, I used:
- Elbow pasta:
- Unsalted butter:
- Flour: Use plain flour or all-purpose flour.
- Milk: Select full-fat milk for this recipe's rich and creamy sauce.
- Heavy cream: Use full-fat cream to achieve a creamy consistency.
- Pumpkin puree: Use canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree.
- Red Leicester cheese: Grate a block of cheese for the best flavor.
- Mozzarella: Use whole mozzarella, chopped up or shredded mozzarella.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garlic: Grate fresh garlic or use garlic powder.
- Oregano: Use dried oregano or Italian herbs.
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Chives
Tips and Substitutions
- Butter: If you’re using unsalted butter for this recipe, you must season the sauce with salt to taste. You can use salted butter instead; however, you must adjust the amount of salt so your Mac and Cheese is not too salty.
- Milk: This recipe can be made with skimmed, semi-skimmed, or single-cream milk, but the consistency and taste may differ.
- Oven dish: If you don’t have an oven dish, use a cast iron pan instead.
How to Make Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. In a medium-sized pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add elbow pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes. Set aside ½ cup of the pasta water for later, and drain the remaining water.
- As the pasta cooks, melt butter in a separate pot on low heat. Add flour and stir until combined.
3. Next, pour milk and cream into the pot, stir until smooth, then add pumpkin puree.
4. Season with salt, paprika, nutmeg, oregano and garlic powder and mix well. Bring to a boil, then cook on low to medium heat for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
5. Remove the sauce from the stove, add the shredded cheese, and stir. If the mixture is too thick, add the reserved pasta water.
6. Once the pasta has cooked, pour the cheesy pumpkin sauce into the pot and stir well.
7. Add the pumpkin to a lightly greased medium-sized oven dish and bake for 25-30 minutes.
9. For dinner, serve this delicious creamy pumpkin mac' n cheese topped with fresh chives. Serve with Quick Cauliflower in an Air Fryer and southern fried chicken without Buttermilk.
Recipe FAQs
This pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese can be refrigerated for 4 days in an airtight container.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave or the oven using an oven dish.
You can use any cheese of your choice or a mix of cheeses, such as Cheddar, Mozzarella, Colby Jack, Leicester, or gouda.
More Comforting Pasta Recipes
Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Equipment
- 2 medium-sized pots
- Medium-sized oven dish
Ingredients
- 300 g of elbow pasta
- 30 g of unsalted butter
- 30 g of flour
- ½ cup of milk
- 1 cup of cream
- 200 g of pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon of Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of Oregano or Italian herbs
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Black pepper to taste
- 200 g red Leicester cheese grated
- 100 g Mozzarella
- 2 tablespoon chives chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Then, add elbow pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes. Set ½ cup of the pasta water aside for later and drain the remaining water.
- As the pasta cooks, grab another pot. Add unsalted butter and melt on a low heat. Then, add flour to the saucepan and whisk on a medium heat for 30 seconds. Add half of the milk and continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth and begins to bubble.
- Next, pour in the cream and stir until smooth. Then add pumpkin puree, salt to taste, pepper to taste, garlic powder, oregano, paprika and nutmeg and stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil then cook for 5 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Remove the sauce from the stove and add 80g of shredded or chopped mozzarella and 70g of red Leicester cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. If the mixture is too thick, add the reserved pasta water.
- Next, pour the pumpkin sauce onto the cooked pasta and stir. Then, transfer the macaroni to a lightly greased oven dish.
- Top the macaroni with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Once the pumpkin macaroni is cooked, top it with chives and serve.
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