Creamy Stovetop Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
If you have kids, you may already be cringing at the thought of the Trick-Or-Treating bounty they’ll surely bring home on the 31st.
You and I both know that a healthy dinner will be the last thing on their minds once the costumes are on and the sun starts to set, beckoning them out into the twilit evening; so why not fuel them with a hearty – but kid-friendly – meal before they devour fistfuls of chocolate and candy?
Mac & cheese is a perennial favorite of children, and who can blame ‘em with that irresistible gooey cheese and tender pasta?! The only problem is that a typical recipe calls for white pasta, butter, whole milk, & full-fat cheese… and a lot of it.
Not exactly healthy.
Enter pumpkin puree. Not only does the autumn squash contribute loads of nutrients, its gorgeous orange hue also intensifies the color of the overall dish and adds a creamy consistency without relying on loads of fat.
Three kinds of cheese – neufchatel (1/3-less-fat cream cheese), reduced fat sharp cheddar, and colby jack – make their way into this quick and easy midday meal, rendering the not-so-kid-friendly flavor of squash indiscernible.
Now, just because mac & cheese is traditionally relegated to the ranks of kid-only food doesn’t mean that you can’t also serve yourself up a bowlful of this creamy & comforting pasta.
Just don’t be surprised when you find yourself licking the bowl clean 
.
Looking for more of an adult flavor profile? Check out my original recipe for Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, which calls for gruyere cheese, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
Creamy Stovetop Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 oz uncooked whole wheat macaroni pasta
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
- 2 oz (about 4 Tbsp) 1/3-less-fat neufchatel cream cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated colby jack cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, whisk together and heat pumpkin puree and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot.
- Reduce stove heat to low. Whisk in cheeses until fully melted.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir drained pasta into the pumpkin-cheese sauce and mix until thoroughly combined.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
302.5 calories, 15.6 grams fat, 10.7 grams saturated fat, 3.5 grams fiber, 4.7 grams sugar, 24.5 grams protein
Lauren Zembron
