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Appetizers & Potluck

Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Creamy baked macaroni with real pumpkin and a crisp herbed crumb top — the potluck pan that comes home empty every year.

Baked pumpkin mac and cheese in a cast iron dish with golden breadcrumb crust and a spoon lifting a cheesy portion
Prep time
50 min
Serves
10
Difficulty
Medium
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The pan that comes home empty every year. Real pumpkin folded into a cheddar and Gruyère sauce, baked under sage breadcrumbs until the edges bubble.

Ingredients

Tick items off as you go.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Boil the macaroni two minutes short of the package time and drain.
  2. Melt the butter in a large pot, whisk in the flour, and cook one minute without colouring it.
  3. Pour in the warm milk in a steady stream, whisking, and cook until it coats the back of a spoon.
  4. Off the heat, whisk in the pumpkin, nutmeg, and paprika, then the cheeses a handful at a time. Season boldly — pumpkin swallows salt.
  5. Fold in the pasta and turn it into a buttered cast iron pan or baking dish.
  6. Scatter the sage crumbs over the top and bake 25 to 30 minutes until bubbling at the edges and deep gold on top.

Why it works & making it ahead

Take the pot off the heat before the cheese goes in; boiling sauce turns cheese grainy. Boil the pasta two minutes short — it finishes in the oven. Season boldly, because pumpkin swallows salt, and let it stand ten minutes before serving so it slices instead of running.

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Take it off the heat before the cheese goes in — boiling sauce turns cheese grainy.

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