Gouda mac and cheese with pumpkin

There's been many meat meals in the past few days as we come out of Rosh Hashanah and head into Sukkos! Although I don't make a lot of dairy meals in general, I've been trying to incorporate a few into the days when there's no chag. This gouda mac and cheese with pumpkin is the perfect dish for these busy days. It comes together very quickly and the touch of pumpkin is a great little preview of fall. Serve this with a salad, roasted veggies, or a light vegetable soup and you've got a real winner of a meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pasta- I chose medium shells, but feel free to use your favorite noodle shape!
• Butter
• Garlic
• Pumpkin puree
• Milk
• Heavy cream
• Gouda cheese
• Cheddar cheese
• Spices: salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder

How to make gouda mac and cheese with pumpkin:

1. Start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot or pan. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the pumpkin puree and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour in the cream, milk, and cheeses. Stir and bring to a low simmer.
4. Strain the cooked pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
5. Add in the pasta water to the sauce. Simmer for an additional minute. At this point the sauce should coat the back of a spoon. If it doesn't yet, try adding in another splash or heavy cream or tablespoon of pumpkin puree.
6. Add in the cooked pasta and mix well.
7. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.

Making the sauce for gouda mac and cheese with pumpkin in advance:

You can definitely make the sauce in advance. It'll store in the fridge for 3-5 days. When you are ready to prepare the pasta, cook up the pasta fresh and use some of the reserved pasta water in the sauce as it reheats.

more cheesy recipes:

3 cheese mac and cheese

Quick homemade stuffed crust pizza

Gouda mac and cheese with pumpkin

This gouda mac and cheese with pumpkin will fulfill all your cheesy dreams with a hint of pumpkin. Perfect for an intro into fall!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients

  

• 1 LB medium shell pasta
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• ½ 15 oz can of pumpkin
• 1 c freshly grated gouda cheese
• 1 c freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 c heavy cream
• ¼ c whole milk or any milk
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Start by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot or pan. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add in the pumpkin puree and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour in the cream, milk, and cheeses. Stir and bring to a low simmer.
4. Strain the cooked pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
5. Add in the pasta water to the sauce. Simmer for an additional minute. At this point the sauce should coat the back of a spoon. If it doesn't yet, try adding in another splash or heavy cream or tablespoon of pumpkin puree.
6. Add in the cooked pasta and mix well.
7. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.

Video