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
Pumpkin Thyme Mac and Cheese
Serves 4 to 5
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1 lb dry fusilli pasta (can substitute elbow macaroni)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 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
Directions:
1. Place milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium saucepan and stir together. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. 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.
3. Boil pasta for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and set aside.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Place shredded cheese into a mixing bowl and toss together with lemon juice.
7. 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.
first morning of super cold! woke up to Ginger in gloves, scarf & hat. this sounds delicious, smoked goooouda
This looks awesome. And I love that there’s gouda up in here.
I love butternut squash AND mac-n-cheese, so this is PERFECT. LOVE IT!
I’ve been looking for a good Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese recipe and this one sounds amazing! I will be trying it out for a Potluck tomorrow evening. Will give feedback :)
I love that you used mini fusilli! Plus, the sharp & extra sharp cheddars sound sooo good :)
This sounds so freaking delicious! Love the thyme in there!
I wonder if I could wear this as a robe.
Bwahahahaha! *serious note* I am very willing to try the robe experiment and report back.
Gorgeous mac ‘n cheese! I love how light and bright and cheery (and cheesy!) it looks!
pumpkin, noodles and cheese = delightful!
Amazing combination! I adore the additional of thyme. I bet it tastes as good as it sounds!
Yum, this looks great. I’ve been kicking around an idea for pumpkin mac n cheese too ;)
If that isn’t fall on a plate, I don’t know what is…
Those are some of my favorite cheese varieties! I was wondering how this mac and cheese would still taste cheesy with the pumpkin puree in it, but with those flavors I get it.
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Love the cheeses you used- you can’t go wrong with extra sharp cheddar and smoked gouda, and I bet they went amazingly well with the pumpkin, nutmeg, and thyme. Definitely want to make this!
Is there some sort of clever trick in tossing the cheese in lemon juice? I’m fascinated!
The acidity in lemon juice prevents the cheese [sauce] from becoming too stringy…you could also sprinkle a small amount of white wine over the cheese instead of lemon juice. Enjoy!
It’s really a good snacks for me!Love your bolg!
This looks scrumptious! I’ll need to try this. Looks like amazing comfort food. I like the incorporation of Gouda too.
Fall is arrived, to be sure, and how right you are to embrace it rather than fight it.
Last night we did board games and martinis with friends seated by the fire. A milk braised pork shoulder, smashed potatoes, kale gratin, and roasted beets accompanied us.
The only thing missing was a pumpkin Mac and Cheese!!
This looks unbelievably creamy, and I love that you don’t have to bake it – gets me eating sooner!
What a great twist on Mac and Cheese! This dish is perfect for this time of year-need to try it.
Wow, made this today for my family! It was so delicious!! I had two bowls! lol! thanks for sharing this, it made me feel like I was eating Fall, like it tasted like Fall! :D
I love mini pasta, but my picky boyfriend hates it… of course, he hates pumpkin too… this sounds like the perfect ‘me’ meal!
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I could stare at your beautiful photos all day–but I think I NEED to get in the kitchen and make this pasta–YUM!
I should have read this post earlier. Actually I took last week some photos where I tried to get this kind of mood.
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Can this recipe be made a day in advance and re-heated?
Unfortunately it really doesn’t hold very well…UNLESS you bake it!
If I were to bake this a day in advance for a group of 15, how would you recommend I go about doing so? How long should I bake for?
I would recommend setting everything into a baking dish and covering it with foil the night before and baking it in the morning at 375F for about 20-25 minutes uncovered.
Perfect, thanks!!
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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!
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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!
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. :)
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This Mac and cheese is amazing, I can’t tell you how many people have been impressed with this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Pumpkin works so well in mac n cheese!
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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!
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!
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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 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!
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tried it, loved it, you guys rock!
I look forward to trying this recipe. Sounds delicious. Is that a 15 oz can of pumpkin you used?
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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.
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!
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