Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

By á-25393

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of uncooked noodles (I used rotini)
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 cup of light cream
• 4 tablespoons of Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded part-skim sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (divided)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• Cooking spray

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta until al dente, about eight minutes in boiling water. Rinse and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

Meanwhile, heat cream and pumpkin in a sauce pan on medium heat, until thickened.
Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in cheese until completely melted. The sauce will be quite thick.

Add in 1/2 pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Add pasta and stir it into the pumpkin-cheese sauce and mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour mixture into the greased dish. Sprinkle panko, parmesan cheese and rest of the pumpkin pie spice to completely cover the top of the macaroni. Add in more cayenne if you want a spicy crust.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until bread crumbs have browned.