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.

📝 Ingredients

• 300 g of elbow pasta
• 30 g of unsalted butter
• 30 g of flour
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup of cream
• 200 g of pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp of Garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp of Oregano (or Italian herbs)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Black pepper to taste
• 200 g red Leicester cheese (grated)
• 100 g Mozzarella
• 2 tbsp chives (chopped)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat 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 1/2 cup of the pasta water aside for later and drain the remaining water.
2. 2As 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.
3. 3Next, 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.
4. 4Remove 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.
5. 5Next, pour the pumpkin sauce onto the cooked pasta and stir. Then, transfer the macaroni to a lightly greased oven dish.
6. 6Top the macaroni with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
7. 7Once the pumpkin macaroni is cooked, top it with chives and serve.