The perfect fall comfort food is Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. Made with simple ingredients this is a dish everyone will love plus it is easy enough for a weeknight but delicious enough for a side dish on the holiday table.
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Pumpkin Mac n Cheese
What I love about Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is that it is elevated from traditional Mac n Cheese. Not just in its flavor but the nutritional value as well. So when my 7 year old goes in for his third helping it makes me happy!
This Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is made in a pretty traditional style. The noodles are boiled, a cheese sauce is made on the stovetop, and then everything is added together and baked with breadcrumbs.
I have been serving this as a main dish for our family dinners usually with a side salad or vegetable. The kids love it and they always eat it up. And while it is a great weeknight meal it could also be used as a side dish for a Thanksgiving table as well.
Ingredients
- Cellentani/Cavatappi Pasta – Known as the corkscrew pasta, cellentani or cavatappi are the same spiral shaped pasta, the name will change by what brand you buy. You can of course substitute for a different pasta shape. Macaroni, rigitoni, or rotini pasta would all be a great alternative.
- Butter – Using unsalted butter is best when you cook, that way you can control the salt level of the dish!
- All-Purpose Flour – Regular flour is used to make the cheese sauce, you will mix with the butter to make a quick roux before turning it into a cheese sauce.
- Pumpkin Puree – Make sure you grab a can of 100% pure pumpkin and not accidentally a can of pumpkin pie filling! If you have homemade pumpkin puree you can of course use that!
- Milk – For recipe testing I used whole milk for this recipe but it shouldn’t matter much here, so use the milk that works best for you.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Use Sharp or even Extra Sharp cheese! Trust me it makes a big difference, I found that it kept the dish from getting overly rich and that it complimented the pumpkin perfectly. And if you car wondering about kids, my kids had no clue that I used a sharp cheddar cheese they still ate it right up.
- Kosher Salt – While I do find that a lot of cheese adds plenty of saltiness you will want to add a little, you will also want a bit more for adding to the pasta water, at least 1/2 teaspoon or even a tad more.
- Ground Nutmeg – This spice really takes this dish to the pumpkin-y level. Just enough to get the flavor but not enough to overwhelm the dish.
- Panko Crumbs – For adding a little crunch to the top of the dish! If you don’t have panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs) you can use plain breadcrumbs as well!
- Oil – Add just a little oil for adding to the breadcrumbs so that they get all brown and crispy and delicious! You can use whatever you have on hand but I prefer to use olive oil.
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.
pro tip
Buy and shred your sharp cheddar cheese from a block rather than buying pre-shredded cheese if possible. The pre-shredded cheese is full of anti-caking chemicals which inhibits the cheese from melting properly. So for the best cheese sauce, buy the block!
instructions
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a 2 1/2 quart baking dish (or similar size).
Bring large pot with water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta. Cook to Al dente or about 1 minute less than package instructions. Drain when cooked.
While pasta is cooking prepare the cheese sauce. In a small bowl whisk together the pumpkin and milk. Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add the flour and whisk together. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the saucepan whisking in a little at a time.
Whisking occasionally continue to heat the sauce until it is steaming but not yet bubbling/simmering about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat to low. Add half of the cheese to the pot. Slowly whisk into the sauce. Repeat with the second half of the cheese. Add the nutmeg and salt to the pot and whisk in. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat.
Transfer the pasta and the cheese sauce to the baking dish. Mix well and evenly distribute in the dish.
In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and oil. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mac and cheese.
Transfer to the oven and bake about 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
tips, tricks and questions
A 9×13 baking dish is about 3 ¾ quarts, so you can use this if needed, it just might be more spread out so cooking time might be a little less, just make sure to keep an eye on it the last few minutes.
Does the mac and cheese need to be baked?
No! If you want to dig info the stovetop after you have added the pumpkin cheese sauce go right ahead, there is no need to bake.
Feel free to make this meal your own by adding add-ins to the baking step. Some cooked bacon, ham, steamed broccoli, or other veggies would be great at bulking this meal up!
If you have an open can of pumpkin and need to use it up you might also like:
what to serve with this
Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
The perfect fall comfort food is Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. Made with simple ingredients this is a dish everyone will love plus it is easy enough for a weeknight but delicious enough for a side dish on the Thanksgiving table.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cellentani/cavatappi pasta (16 ounces)
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup bread panko crumbs
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a 2 ½ quart baking dish (or similar size).
- Bring large pot with water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta. Cook to Al dente or about 1 minute less than package instructions. Drain when done cooking.
- While pasta is cooking prepare the cheese sauce. In a small bowl whisk together the pumpkin and milk.
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add the flour and whisk together. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the saucepan whisking in a little at a time.
- Whisking occasionally continue to heat the sauce until it is hot and steaming but not yet bubbling/simmering usually about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat to low. Add half of the cheese to the saucepan. Slowly whisk into the sauce. Repeat with the second half of the cheese. Add the nutmeg and salt to the saucepan and whisk in. Remove the cheese sauce from the heat.
- Transfer the pasta and the cheese sauce to the baking dish. Mix well and evenly distribute in the dish.
- In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and oil. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mac and cheese.
- Transfer to the oven and bake about 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Notes
I use whole milk for this reipce but your favorite milk should work great.
Cavatappi or Cellentani pasta also known as corkscrew pasta works best for this recipe, but you can also use macaroni, rigitoni, or rotini pastas.
A 9x13 baking dish is about 3 ¾ quarts, so you can use this if needed, it just might be more spread out so cooking time might be a little less, just make sure to keep an eye on it the last few minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1/8 the dishAmount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 493mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 16g
Nutritional data is automated and might not be 100% accurate, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
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