Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese is creamy and comforting with just a hint of fall spices and pumpkin. This would be the perfect side dish for a roasted chicken, or serve it as a main course.
First pumpkin recipe coming at you! After a long hot summer, one of my favorite parts of the fall season is the cooler weather and getting back into comfort foods. What says comfort food more than macaroni and cheese?
If you haven’t made homemade macaroni and cheese before, you’ve been missing out. Now don’t get me wrong. I grew up eating tons of (and loving every bit of) the blue box. Occasionally we had the stuff that start with vel and ends in eeeta. Cringe. But seriously, that bag of creamy cheese? Hard to resist.
Now that I’m older and have made homemade mac and cheese more than a few times, I realize that a little effort goes a long way in regard to health and taste.
For this mac and cheese, I used the same base as my Bacon and Kale Mac from last winter.
Start by melting 4 tbsp of unsalted butter in the bottom of a large pot. You could use a shallow pan, but I like using a soup pot so that I can add the pasta at the end to toss it together with the sauce before adding it to the casserole.
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Once the butter is melted, add the 4 tbsp of flour and give it a good whisk. This is your roux.
Allow the roux to bubble and once it starts turning golden, add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in the 4 cups of milk. I used 2% but you could use any milk you have on hand. Make sure the roux is scraped from the sides and bottom of the pot.
Allow the milk to simmer on medium heat until it thickens slightly and begins to bubble around the edges, about 5 minutes. While the milk simmers, grate the fontina cheese and measure out the pumpkin.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Once cooked, drain.
Add the pumpkin to the simmering milk. Whisk to combine, breaking up any larger pieces.
Add the grated fontina and whisk. Turn the heat off. Continue whisking intermittently until all of the cheese is melted. If you’re adding spinach, now it the time to do it. Add the spinach leaves to the sauce and stir to combine. The heat of the sauce will wilt the spinach leaves.
Time to season the sauce. Add the pumpkin spice, salt, and pepper. Taste it to make sure it’s seasoned to your liking. Whisk, whisk, whisk to combine.
Once the pasta is drained, add it to the sauce and stir to combine.
Spray the bottom of a 9X13 casserole dish with olive oil spray and pour the pasta mixture into the dish. Combine the parmesan cheese and Italian breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Top the pasta with the remaining 1 cup of fontina cheese. Spoon the breadcrumb and parmesan mixture over top.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350.
Mondays call for a big, warm, comforting bowl of this pumpkin mac and cheese. Oh yes.
Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese is creamy and comforting with just a hint of fall spices and pumpkin. This would be the perfect side dish for a roasted chicken, or serve it as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta (rigatoni would also work)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups 2% milk
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (unflavored)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- topping
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- optional 2-3 cups chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Start by melting 4 tbsp of unsalted butter in the bottom of a large pot. You could use a shallow pan, but I like using a soup pot so that I can add the pasta at the end to toss it together with the sauce before adding it to the casserole.
- Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
- Once the butter is melted over medium heat, add the 4 tbsp of flour and give it a good whisk. This is your roux.
- Allow the roux to bubble and once it starts turning golden, add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Whisk in the 4 cups of milk. I used 2% but you could use any milk you have on hand. Make sure the roux is scraped from the sides and bottom of the pot.
- Allow the milk to simmer on medium heat until it thickens slightly and begins to bubble around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- While the milk simmers, grate the fontina cheese and measure out the pumpkin.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Once cooked, drain.
- Add the pumpkin to the simmering milk. Whisk to combine, breaking up any larger pieces.
- Add the grated fontina and whisk. Turn the heat off. Continue whisking intermittently until all of the cheese is melted. If you're adding spinach, now it the time to do it. Add the spinach leaves to the sauce and stir to combine. The heat of the sauce will wilt the spinach leaves.
- Add the pumpkin spice, salt, and pepper. Taste it to make sure it's seasoned to your liking. Whisk to combine.
- Once the pasta is drained, add it to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Spray the bottom of a 9X13 casserole dish with olive oil spray and pour the pasta mixture into the dish.
- Combine the parmesan cheese and Italian breadcrumbs in a small bowl.
- Top the pasta with the remaining 1 cup of fontina cheese. Spoon the breadcrumb and parmesan mixture over top.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350.
Notes
If you wanted to take this to a friend, you could allow it to cool before baking. Cover it, and then refrigerate it. When you’re ready to cook it, add 10 minutes to the baking time. I usually like to add spinach to the sauce so that this mac and cheese has some veggies in it. To be honest, I forgot to add spinach to the mac and cheese this time I made it but it is delicious with spinach and great for a little added nutrition.
Bites of Bri is a food blog dedicated to simple, fresh, mostly healthy, always delicious dishes.
There is not much like homemade Mac and cheese…then add a bit of fall spice? Sounds perfectly comforting
Pumpkin mac ‘n cheese is on my list to make this year, so you beat me to it!
This looks delicious, Bri! Such a great way to incorporate a fall flavor.
Thanks, Gayle! I can’t wait to see your spin on it!
What a great idea! I have some pumpkin puree hanging out in the fridge still from my donuts… I could totally make mac and cheese! YUM! pinning
Leftover pumpkin puree is perfect for this recipe!
I love savory dishes with pumpkin and this one looks easy and yummy to make!!
Renee, it is so easy! Thanks for stopping by.
Yum! This looks and sound delicious. I love mac and cheese, pumpkin and spinach too, can’t wait to try!
Joy, me too! Thanks.
Bri you are so creative!! I love mac and cheese and I love pumpkin, but I never thought to combine the two! Such a lovely fall meal!
Annie, thanks girl!
I’m guilty of eating many bowls of the blue box mac and cheese growing up, now I can’t stand to take a bite of it. This pumpkin mac and cheese looks so good, and perfect for fall!
Danae, thank you! I know…if only we knew!
Wow, mind blown! This fall version of mac & cheese sounds amazing, so creative!
Meggan, thank you so much!
LOVE this mac n cheese, Bri! Sometimes I cannot figure out what I like more – savory pumpkin dishes or sweet pumpkin dishes. 😉
I have the same constant battle. Sweet vs. savory. Most people say they love one or the other. I think I love both!
Oh yeah, bring on the pumpkin pasta! What a fun idea. I was unsure how mac and cheese could improve, but you have done just that! I want a fork right now to dig into this deliciousness.
Allison, thank you so much!
I think this is my favourite pumpkin recipe I have seen over the past couple of days (and there have been a lot). Love pumpkin and LOVE macaroni cheese, so this is a perfect combo.
What an amazing mac and cheese! It must smell fabulous while it is cooking!
Oh WOW Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, my hubby will be very pleased! 😉 Great recipe!
Karen, thanks girl!
Mac and cheese and other comfort food are definitely some of the best things about fall! This looks soooo good.
Oh goodness – this looks dreamy!!! The perfect comfort food for fall. Love all the flavours. Yummmy!!!
Courtney, thank you! I love fall and the flavors that come with it!
This is comfort food at its best, but I know I would feel very smug eating a huge plate of this and knowing that it has all those hidden veggies in there. I bet it tastes delicious!
Helen, I love hidden veggies too!
I’ve never tried pumpkin mac and cheese before. . love this!!! Pinned and can’t wait to try this! Looks delish!
Alice, thank you so much!
Bri this looks delicious! I bet my whole family will love it! Thank you:)
Shannon, thank you so much!
I’m working on a pumpkin mac and cheese now, this one sounds perfect!
Sue, thank you!
this is the post perfect Fall dish I have seen in ALL of my post-wedding blog catch up, I am seriously in LOVE!!! pinny, pin, pinnneeddd!!!!
Christine, thanks girl! I want to see a wedding recap