Hey Guys! Thank you so much for all of your awesome support in making our book release such a fun and successful time for us! Thank you, thank you!! The winners of our Tiny Food Giveaway are: Kate with her awesome/unique answer of “Mini Crabbies” and our randomly chosen winner Madelana. Congrats you two!! We’ll be emailing you each shortly! Now to food! :)
So in honor of pumpkins, their awesomeness and the nice chilly weather we’re finally getting here in LA, we have pumpkin mac and cheese infused with thyme for you to whip up this weekend! I really enjoy using pumpkin in my baked goods (more of that later this month!), but I LOVE using it in savory dishes. Last year we had our Pumpkin Risotto with Seared Scallops…so good! This mac and cheese combo may seem a little odd, but the pumpkin is subtle enough with the creaminess of the sauce/cheeses and the thyme sort of brings everything together. This dish is perfect for this time of year and I urge you all to make it this weekend, cozy up with someone special and enjoy! xx, Jenny
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Pumpkin Thyme Mac and Cheese
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- 1 pound fusilli pasta can substitute elbow macaroni
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
- 1 ounce white extra sharp cheddar
- salt and pepper to taste
garnish
- lightly toasted/buttered panko breadcrumbs
Recipe instruction visual controls:
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium saucepan and stir together. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil add a generous amount of salt (2½ – 3 tablespoons) and then the pasta.
- Boil pasta for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk together. Allow mixture to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in thyme.
- Whisk pumpkin-milk mixture into flour mixture and continue to whisk until fully incorporated. Allow mixture to simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place shredded cheese into a mixing bowl and toss together with lemon juice.
- Stir cheese into the béchamel sauce and stir until cheese just melts. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and gently stir pasta into the sauce, ½ cup at a time until all of the pasta has been added and is fully coasted in sauce. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.
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A very delicious dish! We tried this yesterday and it turned out very Gouda. Will definitely make again. Adding Sriracha gave it a nice kick!
Made this for dinner for my husband and I. The only thing I would change is add 2 cups of pumpkin which is a 15oz can. Also I would add pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, ground clove and ground nutmeg as you really didn’t even taste those spices. Also I added bacon so I did not add salt to the dish as the bacon had enough salt to substitute.
I look forward to trying this recipe. Sounds delicious. Is that a 15 oz can of pumpkin you used?
tried it, loved it, you guys rock!
I REALLY want to make this for my contribution to Thanksgiving and wow everyone. Is there a way I could make it ahead of time and keep warm (say on warm in a crockpot)? Would need to be made around 11:00 and last for when our family eats around 2:00.
Hi Lauren,
I haven’t tried making it ahead of time, but from others who have commented on here seem to agree that it heats back up well, so I think you’re all good!
Made this last night – amazing! Big hit with the boyfriend. Only thing is there’s only 2 of us, and I have a lot left over. Saw your baking comment. Would it do this dish injustice to add a protein of some sort to make a casserole-type dish with the leftovers? Would love your suggestions…
I think turning the leftovers into a protein filled casserole is a great idea! You could always add some bacon/pancetta or even a nice Spanish chorizo…or my boyfriend’s favorite…cut up hot dogs…seriously. :) good luck!
I literally squealed in excitement upon seeing this recipe. Some of my favorite things include anything pumpkin, mac & cheese, and smoked gouda, so it’s safe to say I’ll definitely be making this recipe soon!
Made this tonight and it turned out FANTASTIC! This gets added to the long list of new favorite foods that I’ve tried from your blog and have fallen in love with. What a great twist on the classic mac&cheese recipe and one I would have never thought to try without your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Pumpkin works so well in mac n cheese!
This Mac and cheese is amazing, I can’t tell you how many people have been impressed with this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I made this yesterday and it was amazing. The best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had. It was like autumn gave me a big hug! Haha. Thank you so much for the recipe. :)
We made this last week. It was amazing and it reheats well! My non leftover eating boyfriend chowed down the next day. He added bacon to his the next day and was pretty happy. Thanks! We will make again!
My four year old requested pumpkin mac and cheese for dinner Halloween night, but i am not a big fan of ‘smoked’ cheeses..would regular gouda work? or do you have another cheese suggestion?
Regular Gouda will work just fine! I’m also a big gruyere cheese person and it melts wonderfully. Good luck!