Pumpkin Mac 'n' Cheese

This a lovely autumnal dish, that is ideal for this week when households are awash with Halloween pumpkins and squash. Rather than throw them out, it’s great to cook with pumpkins – they are packed with tons of vitamins and most importantly, it tastes great.

Mac n cheese is a family favourite - rich, oozing, delicious cheesy pasta with the addition of sweet roasted pumpkin only improves it further.  

If you'd rather make without the pumpkin - just follow the recipe below and omit the instructions re pumpkins. I roast the pumpkin whole and then cut it when softened to remove the hard work, as it can be tricky to chop raw. 

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

The below serves 6.

Here’s how:

• 1 large squash or pumpkin
• 400g macaroni
• 1.5 tbsp plain flour
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 250ml full fat milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 55g Cheddar
• 30g Red Leicester
• 10g Grana Padana
• Nutmeg
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper 
• Firstly place the oven on high at 200 degrees, pop the squash on a baking tray and place in the centre to roast for 30 minutes. 

Fill and boil the kettle.

Now in a pan, melt the butter gently, once fully melted add the flour and mustard powder and use a wooden spoon to quickly mix all together and form a roux. Once all combined add the milk, slowly, a little bit at a time, wach time quickly stirring to combine the roux and form the basis of the sauce. Add the bay leaves here to flavour and season and allow to cook on a low heat for a couple of minutes.

Grate all of the cheeses and leave a small handful aside for the topping, and add the rest to the roux, again stirring all the time. The cheese will melt down and thicken the sauce. Now grate in lots of nutmeg, it's difficult to give an exact measurement, but I like to add quite a bit, probably around a quarter of the nutmeg, it gives a lovely warming flavour.

Now cook the macaroni for 7 minutes in the boiled water with another pinch of salt, then drain and add to the cheese sauce and remove from the heat. Stir to ensure the pasta is all coated gloriously in the cheese sauce.

Now remove the squash from the oven and cut in half, then remove the seeds and anything inedible. Scoop out the flesh and place into a saucepan. Once all is out, roughly mash with a potato masher and then stir through the mac and cheese.

Pour the cheesy pasta into a dish and then scatter over the remaining cheese and place into the oven for thirty minutes or until the cheese is oozing and beginning to brown.

Portion up and if serving to children, allow to cool for a few minutes, so they don't burn their mouths. Enjoy!

A couple of other pumpkin recipes:

Pumpkin & Spinach Lasagne
Simple & Skinny Butternut Squash Soup