Description
Creamy, savory mac and cheese with subtle pumpkin flavor, sharp cheddar, Gruyere, and golden panko topping. Perfect fall comfort food that’s irresistibly cheesy and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Turn your oven to 375°F and boil elbow macaroni, stopping 1 minute early, then drain.
- Melt unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat and whisk in all-purpose flour until smooth and bubbly.
- Slowly pour in whole milk while whisking nonstop, cooking for about 5 minutes until it thickens and bubbles.
- Stir in canned pumpkin, nutmeg, thyme, salt, and pepper until well mixed.
- Add sharp cheddar and Gruyere cheese gradually, stirring until melted and silky.
- Remove from heat, mix in drained macaroni until coated in sauce.
- Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish without greasing and sprinkle panko on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes until breadcrumbs are brown and bubbly around the edges.
Notes
- Use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Shred cheese from blocks to avoid grainy sauce.
- Undercook pasta to prevent mushiness.
- Panko gives a lighter, crispier topping than regular breadcrumbs.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container for 4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 16g
- Cholesterol: 60mg