Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (One-Pot)
This one-pot Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is saucy, cheesy, and full of savory fall flavor! The pasta cooks right in the pumpkin sauce before cream cheese and cheddar get stirred in for an easy, veggie-loaded dinner with no roux and minimal prep. Ready in about 25 minutes start to finish, it is the ultimate cozy weeknight fall dinner!
One Pot. No Roux. Yet, so much cheesy, pumpkin-y fall goodness.
While I would LOVE to take full credit for this amazingly saucy, cheesy, and silly easy pumpkin mac and cheese, I can’t. My blogging bestie Robyn from Real Food Whole Life was actually the mastermind behind this fall dinner recipe and felt like it just *belonged* on TNN because, well….pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is one of those wonderfully easy veggies to work into dinner and a pantry staple that I add in everywhere (Robyn knows this about me, again…besties). I love when we let pumpkin have its savory moment instead of always asking it to become a muffin or pie (my Pumpkin Turkey Chili does this sososo well too). This easy, homemade mac and cheese has just the right amount of cheddar and cream cheese balance out the pumpkin flavor, with thyme, a teeny bit of pumpkin spice, and a few simple seasonings making the whole thing feel very fall without tasting like you accidentally made pumpkin pie pasta.
And the fact that this is one-pot mac and cheese recipe just sweetens the deal. There’s no separate pot of boiling water and no roux to fuss with. (I know roux can feel weirdly intimidating if you don’t make one often.) There’s also basically nothing to chop besides a little garlic and grate a little cheese. I don’t think we could make the prep more minimal.
And since there is no roux, this is extra easy to make gluten-free. I tested it with Jovial brown rice pasta and it worked beautifully. Just keep in mind that different pastas can behave a little differently in a one-pot situation, so if you opt to use chickpea, lentil, or another alternative pasta, start checking it for al dente-ness early rather than blindly trusting the clock. Once that pasta is ready, THEN we bring on the cheese. And if you love a cheesy, quietly veggie-loaded pasta like my crew does, my Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese should be your next stop for when pumpkin puree becomes hard to find.
Let’s make this one-pot mac and cheese together. Just you and me…
Things I Tried With This Mac & Cheese (So You Don’t Have To)
- I always use freshly grated cheese in this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese is super convenient, but it also has anti-caking ingredients that can keep it from melting as smoothly and leave your sauce a little gritty. Freshly grated cheddar melts beautifully into the pumpkin sauce.
- I like yellow cheddar here instead of white because it deepens that gorgeous orange color of the pumpkin.
- When I tested this with gluten free pasta, I found that Jovial Brown Rice pasta swapped in for the regular pasta without needing to make any changes. Since this is a one-pot pasta, I don’t suggest using a different GF pasta since some of them need longer than traditional pasta to cook and won’t be tender when the sauce is done cooking.
- I found that the sauce seemed thin on a couple tests but noticed it will thickens as the cheese melts and the starches from the pasta work their magic. So be patient. I found as I let it cool slightly before serving, it was the perfect saucy mac and cheese consistency, so be patient.
- I tried different kinds of cream cheese with this recipe and found that the full-fat block cream cheese was key for that creamy cheese sauce. Low-fat cream cheese as added water and tub cream cheese often have added air to make them scoopable, both of which can lead a soup sauce. So not the vibe here.
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (One-Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed (see notes)
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces dry medium pasta shells, for gluten-free, use Jovial Brown Rice Pasta. I tested this recipe with it and it worked beautifully
- 2 ounces (31 g) block cream cheese, cubed and softened
- 1 cup (75 g) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated is important to prevent the cheese sauce from being grainy
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the pumpkin pie spice and stir for 30 seconds until toasted.
- Whisk in the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, milk, Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the shells and stir to submerge. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer (about medium-low) and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes to prevent sticking, until the pasta is just al dente and has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Remove from heat. Add the cream cheese and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Add ½ of the shredded cheddar and stir until it is fully melted and then add in the rest of the cheese, stirring until fully melted, and the sauce is creamy and glossy.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
Ummm…Yes! I’m eatting this right now and it’s flavorful and creamy! It was easy once I got all the ingredients ready first.
Yay! I am so glad you loved it!! I knew pumpkin in beloved mac and cheese would be a delicate balance and so glad this was a win!