Creamy, Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Veggies is comfort food, in a bowl! Made with pumpkin puree, roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese is my favorite comfort food dish. I often make Broccoli Mac and Cheese, but for the Fall I love this Pumpkin version. Using pumpkin puree makes a creamy light cheese sauce, without having to add too much cheese or butter. You can make your own pumpkin puree or use organic canned pumpkin to make it faster!
I’ve been testing this a few ways the past week and tried it with homemade pumpkin and canned. The canned was just as good, and maybe even a little creamier. I tried it with Delallo’s Gluten-free Rotini which is my favorite gluten-free pasta brands as well as their whole wheat pasta, both were great, use whatever your family prefers!
Madison loved the pasta without the roasted veggies but the rest of us loved it with. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 nights.
Variations
- Swap out the pumpkin and use butternut squash in it’s place.
- Swap the Brussels sprouts for broccoli florets.
- For more protein, add sauteed chicken sausage.
- Swap out the rotini pasta for any small pasta shape, such as elbows.
- For a baked mac and cheese, top it with breadcrumbs and finish it in the oven.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bars
- No Bake Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie Dip
- Pumpkin Pie
- Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 organic pie pumpkin, about 28 ounces OR 1 (15 ounce) can organic pumpkin puree
- olive oil cooking spray
- 16 ounce cauliflower florets, cut into 1-in. pieces
- 16 ounce quartered Brussels sprouts
- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 ounces gluten-free or wheat rotini pasta, I used Delallo*
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 tablespoons all purpose or gluten-free flour*
- 1 1/2 cups fat free milk
- 2/3 cup reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 5 ounces fresh grated Sharp Light Cheddar, I used Cabot 50%
- 4 ounces fresh grated Gouda
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan
- Kosher salt
- pinch nutmeg
- fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F°. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil, and coat with olive oil spray.
- Toss cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with olive oil, and season with salt. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- If you are roasting the pumpkin yourself, cut the top of the pumpkin as you would if you were carving a jack-o-lantern. Then cut it in quarters. Scoop out the seeds (if you wish to make roasted pumpkin seeds, rinse and lay them out on a baking sheet overnight to dry out). Place the pumpkin on the prepared sheet pan and roast with the other veggies in the oven at 400°F for 35 to 37 minutes, stirring the vegetables and rotating pans halfway through cooking time, until vegetables are soft and have begun to brown around the edges and the pumpkin is soft if pierced with a knife.
- Remove the vegetables and pumpkin from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, remove the pumpkin from the skin. This will come off easily. Discard the skin and place pumpkin in a food processor. Puree until smooth, adding water by the tablespoon if needed about 3 tablespoons until smooth.
- While vegetables roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting fat and salt. Drain, and set aside.
- Over medium heat melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes, add flour and cook another minute, or until the flour is golden and well combined. Add milk and broth and whisk, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 4 to 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and pepper.
- Once it begins to thicken, stir in pumpkin and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheeses and parmesan and mix well until melted. Add the cooked macaroni and mix well, fold in the roasted vegetables.
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Recipe created in partnership with Delallo Foods, a brand I love and use in my kitchen.
I made this last year during fall time and my daughter and I loved it. I will be making it again next week, but this time I will add chicken to make it a meal all in one dish.
Over all thought this was really good. Added some fresh sage an rosemary which was huge flavor boost. Also reserved some cheese put it in a baking dish, added the cheese on top, cooked it at 350 for 30 min.
Loved it. I used frozen blend of broccoli and cauliflower and followed the instructions to a T. It was easy. I added chicken sausage too. And at the end topped it with spicy seasoning. My picky 10 year old and my skeptic husband both said they loved it. I can’t wait for leftovers.
This was good, but not great. I will make it again, but will add some heat with a hot pepper. Maybe some other spices. Need to think on it!
This was so good!! It felt lighter than regular mac and cheese because it was less cheese due to the pumpkin. We loved it!
My pet peeve with a lot a recipes, this included, is not making it for a full pound of pasta. Who wants a 1/3 box hanging around? So I guess I have to add more cheese & milk to make up for it. Pumpkin will have to stay the same because I am using canned.
Planning a go at it tomorrow or next day. I love the idea of all the flavors so I guess I’ll figure it out.
I was scared after I read the reviews, but so glad I made this! I did add chicken sausage. Delicious!
Loved it. I used frozen blend of broccoli and cauliflower and followed the instructions to a T. It was easy. I added chicken sausage too. And at the end topped it with spicy seasoning. My picky 10 year old and my skeptic husband both said they loved it. I can’t wait for leftovers.
This was amazing! Some pole commented that it was bland. I seasoned my veggies with salt, pepper, garlic, and an onion seasoning blend I have. I used lots of pumpkin in it. That helped make it thick. I would absolutely make this again!
My family thought this dish was okay, did not think it was worth repeating. Tasted somewhat bland. Agree with other reviewer that mentioned pumpkin and cheese did not really go well together. It was quite labor intensive for a weeknight meal, lots of dishes to wash afterward.
Gosh, I hate to say this, but this was just ok. I love roasted veggies on anything, but I think maybe it was the combo of pumpkin and cheese that didn’t taste right to me. But I love Skinnnytaste recipes 99% of the time, so not a biggie. Probably just my taste buds.
Me and the kids all loved this! My husband however requested I never make it again! 😳
Hey, you can’t please everyone 😉
What a wonderful blend of flavors. Perfect for fall!! Added a little bit of baby spinach that I had in the fridge. This will definitely be made again, and I look forward to trying it with butternut squash. Thank you for taking your time and posting such great recipes. My family and I appreciate it so much!!!
If your mind thinks creamy, buttery, cheesy goodness when it hears “mac n cheese” then this isn’t the recipe. IMO this was just ok. there seemed to be something missing, maybe garlic? or add sausage?. although there it’s macaroni & cheese, it’s really a pumpkin pasta casserole with roasted veggies. sorry about that. usually love all the recipes.
Ok, hate to be a Debbie Downer but my husband and I did not like this recipe. We love macaroni and cheese (who doesn’t?) and most things pumpkin. The vegetables came out delicious and perfectly roasted from the oven. They became mush in the macaroni and cheese. The pumpkin flavor with the pinch of nutmeg gave the whole dish a strange taste and consistency. It was clearly not worth the effort and expense. Bottom line: I will make macaroni and cheese in the future with what make it taste great namely that being the pasta and the cheese! ☹️
I want to make this this week, but can’t find Cabot 50%. What would you suggest in its place?
This was amazing!! Will it freeze? I have a 7 month old and living for all things that will freeze.
My seven year old (the picky eater of the family), took one bite and shouted, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?” She gave this dish 1000 points out of 20.
Awesome!!!!!
Just purchased yourair fryer–LOVE IT!!!
Thank you that’s awesome!
My entire family loves this recipe We do add sliced chicken sausage to the pan as well We brown in first in the cast iron skillet, then add to the cheese sauce and pasta. My daughter would eat it everyday if we let her. She has the leftovers for breakfast, not wanting to wait for lunch.
Made this on Thanksgiving yesterday for my vegetarian niece. Good thing I made a big pot because everyone else dug in too! Subbed broccoli and cauliflower because I had also made Gina’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash with Thyme. Excellent!
For Thanksgiving I am making this as a special side for my vegetarian niece.
Does this work well made a day ahead? If so, what is best way to reheat without it drying out?
Thanks
This was so delicious! I made a few adjustments: used whole grain penne noodles, used broccoli, unsweetened cashew milk instead of fat free milk, didn’t use Gouda cheese, and then added some Italian chicken sausage. It was so creamy and so delicious. I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t thicken up but it turned out properly. Will absolutely make this again and again.
Made this a second time and it was still soooo good! Left out the chicken sausage this time and instead added a bag of spinach. I love how creamy the pumpkin puree makes the sauce.
this was delicious and so filling! I am officially back on weight watchers online (day 3) and getting used to the hunger pangs – this definitely hit the spot.
Soooo delicious! I made this tonight for the family, and I put the roasted veggies in the food processor for a quick chop before adding them into the pasta. It helped my picky veggie eaters to not be able to push their veggies to the side, and they ate it up with plenty of compliments! It reminds me of your broccoli-pasta-sausage dish, which is one of our favorite go-to dinners. Absolutely delicious!!!!
Hi! Do you think this could work just as well with butternut squash? Thanks!
Sure
This recipe is outstanding! I will never make Mac & Cheese another way again. The Gouda cheese really makes the dish. And for those asking,, you can’t taste the pumpkin.
This recipe was delicious, but I definitely struggled getting it to come together at the end. For whatever reason, my pumpkin would just not puree in the food processor. It needed probably over half a cup of water and very patient blending (with plenty of mixing).
Then, like some of the other commenters said, the final product was also very, very thick. I added at least another half a cup of broth and it was still incredibly thick. The additional stirring was detrimental to the structural integrity of my noodles, or I would have kept going.
But despite the fact that it is thick glop, it tastes amazing. I love your mac and cheese, Gina. If I ever make this again, I’ll start out with a full cup of broth right off the bat. And I probably won’t go through the effort of roasting my own pumpkin, though it definitely adds a depth of flavor that is wonderful in this dish.
Hi Gina! Instead of pasta, would using spaghetti squash work? I would plan on finishing it off in the oven to make of more of a baked “Mac” and cheese.