We are thankful for so many things this Thanksgiving. Thankful for each other, for family, for friends. We are grateful for you – our food-loving blogging community. We are sure that you are busy planning Thanksgiving with the people you love – all of the people for whom you are grateful. Today, to help you with your Thanksgiving planning, we bring you PUMPKIN MAC AND CHEESE.
This is a fun Fall spin on a traditional classic. Who doesn’t like the creamy, gooeyness of a homemade mac and cheese? This is comfort food at its finest. The combination of the bursting-with-flavor pumpkin + the creamy melted cheese is delightful.
Why this mac and cheese is even better than the original version :
It has pumpkin in it and pumpkin is a superfood!
Did you know that …
- Pumpkin is packed with fiber and can even help you lose weight
- Boosts vision
- Protects your skin
- Lowers blood pressure
- Helps you to sleep better
- Boosts your immune system and your mood
- Helps you have a healthier heart?
Neither did we, Google is our friend! Read what the Huffington Post has to say about pumpkin in 8 Impressive Health Benefits of Pumpkin.
It also has a delicious flavor and contributes to that creamy texture we all love that has made mac and cheese a favorite food for so many years. We used thinly sliced grainy bread from our favorite organic bakery in Paris, Panifica. The toasted bread gives the dish a crunchiness that is a beautiful contrast to the pumpkin and cheese creamyness.
This is a wonderful dish to make if you are feeding a lot of people because you can make one large dish and divide it many ways (this recipe is for 4 servings). If you are making this dish for 2, like we did, you will also be happy because you can make the same serving and eat it for several days. We reheated ours the next day and it was still so good the next day!
We hope you LOVE our pumpkin mac and cheese recipe. Please try it and let us know what you think. Don’t forget to rate our recipe when you leave your comment below!
We were at the Salon du Chocolat this past weekend. We can’t wait to share all of the sweet details with you. It was really fun to discover all of the creative ideas being put into action in the world of chocolate at the moment. It was also extremely delicious getting to taste several of those ideas!
Pumpkin mac and cheese
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: For 4 people 1x
Description
Learn to make this rich and creamy pumpkin mac and cheese. Make this for Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
- ½ can of pumpkin
- 400g of dried macaroni
- 200g of cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 40g of butter
- 1.5 tbsp of wholewheat flour
- 2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of pepper
- 2 cups of milk
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- ½ tsp of paprika
- ½ tsp of turmeric
- Thin slices of wholegrain bread
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Cook macaroni al dente according to the directions on the package, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add olive oil to a frying pan. Heat on medium heat.
- Add paprika and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add onion, a pinch of salt and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until onion becomes translucent. Put aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Add butter to a large pan and cook on medium heat.
- Add the flour when the butter is brown colored and mix with a whisk.
- Pour the milk in in 4 parts, once the the mixture has become lightly brown while mixing with the whisk.
- Add the cheddar, salt and pepper and whisk continuously for 3 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin and continue to mix until the mixture becomes smooth and slightly thick.
- Add the onion mixture, macaroni and mix with a spoon.
- Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
- Add the slices of bread and put in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Retry later
Karly says
Now this is awesome. And I love that you gave a shout out to the powers of pumpkin… it’s more than just a fall trend! 😉 Need to try this one asap!
A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
Thank you for stopping by! 🙂 Pumpkin is a superfood so we think we should eat it without moderation! 😉