Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese

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Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese

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.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, pasta

Servings: people

Calories: 262kcal

Author: Jen Sim

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.

Video

Notes

Butter: If you're using unsalted butter, make sure to season the sauce with salt to taste. If you use salted butter, be sure to adjust the amount of added salt so your Mac and Cheese doesn't end up too salty.
Milk: You can use skimmed, semi-skimmed, or single-cream milk for this recipe, but keep in mind that the consistency and taste might vary.
Oven Dish: If you don't have an oven dish, a cast iron pan works just as well.
Creamy Sauce: If you want a less thick sauce or do not want to use cream feel free to switch the cream out for milk.

Nutrition