A delicious way to enjoy the flavors of Fall!
One of my favorite times of the year is the holidays. And what is not better than to ring in the holidays starting off with Fall pumpkin season. There are endless ways to incorporate the mild sweetness of pumpkin into both sweet and savory dishes! As a lover of all things macaroni and cheese, I always try to find new ways on creating this dish. The key is to always have creamy cheese sauce, soft noodles, and a crispy topping. So I got into the kitchen and decided it was time to get experimenting to find a way to bring two of my favorite holiday staples together.
For this recipe, you can use either freshly roasted pumpkin or pre canned pumpkin puree. I am all for the latter, trying to save time where I can. I have found that flavor was not compromised using canned over fresh. If you want to use fresh, all you need to do is to roast your pumpkin with olive oil, salt, and pepper at 350 F until it is fork tender. GIve or take 40-50 minutes depending on the size.
The fun part of this recipe is that you can make it your own. You can add your favorite seasonings, or keep it more basic. For me, I wanted the aromatics such as garlic to stand out. You can add red peppers pureed if you want more sweetness.
I added my pumpkin puree and heavy cream. If you have dairy allergies, feel free to use a non flavored milk alternative. You just may use less if it has a thinner consistency. I added Italian Seasoning and Paprika to the soup for a herbaceous smoky hint of flavor. Again, I really want the pumpkin to shine through. I used softened cream cheese, creamy mozzarella, and some freshly grated parmesan. The cream cheese and mozzarella adds to the creaminess of the dish without overwhelming it with a distinct flavor while the parmesan adds a nutty saltiness.
I let this simmer on low heat to gently melt the cheese without burning the bottom. Noodle choices are completely up to you, but I used the classic elbows. Mine was actually gluten free, but any pasta will do. I stirred my pasta together and the sauciest mac and cheese was complete!
You can serve this in a bowl, but I got creative and used pie pumpkins for a fun, new twist. I cleaned out my pumpkin and saved the seeds for roasting later. Scoop you mac into the pumpkin and top with more cheese! This then goes into the oven until the cheese gets melted and golden brown. I like a crispy mac topping, so I toasted some bread crumbs with butter and Italian seasoning over medium heat until golden brown. I sprinkled these on top of the finished mac and boy, what a first bite!
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 cup Pumpkin purée
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 cloves garlic minced 2tbsp
- 1-2 tbsp butter
- Red pepper flakes
- Italian seasoning
- Paprika
- 1 cup mozzarella
- 1/4 cup Parmesan
- 4-6 oz cream cheese
- Salt to taste
Topping:
- Bread crumbs
- Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
Instructions
- Sauté garlic with butter for about 30-40 seconds just to get it fragrant.
- I add the pepper flakes, then pumpkin purée, heavy cream and add 1/2 block of cream cheese.
- Stir until cheese is melted.
- It’s best to use room temp cream cheese.
- Add paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and your mozzarella!
- Mix and add your pasta!
- Heat up your oil or butter in a skillet on medium and gently toast your bread crumbs and seasoning until brown for 1-2 minutes.
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