During the month of November I almost refuse to make anything that does not have Pumpkin in it LOL…. Totally kidding…. Kind of. So when I needed to spice up my classic Mac-n-Cheese recipe I turned to my trusted can of Pumpkin Puree!
This is a healthier take on mac and cheese so the pumpkin replaces the need for heavy cream, cutting way back on the calories and fat (yay!) while giving you over 200% of your daily requirement for Vitamin A… and the kiddos will have NO idea!
There’s just 6 ingredients and you can put the cheese over just about anything you wish – pasta, rice, veggies, spaghetti squash, quinoa—or eat it straight from the bowl…. wont lie… I was tempted!
PUMPKIN MAC-N-CHEESE
Total Time: 15m
Yield: About 3 cups sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups pureed pumpkin or roasted butternut squash
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more if desired
- 2 tbsp butter spread (such as Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light) OR 2 tbsp olive oil and a little extra salt if needed
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 cup shredded cheese (such as Follow Your Heart or Daiya) OR 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
- whatever you wish to go with your sauce (macaroni, quinoa, spaghetti squash, rice, veggies, etc.)
Instructions
Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a complete boil. Lower the heat, and stir until the buttery spread and shredded cheddar melt completely. Sauce will thicken as it cools and is much thicker the next day. Makes about 3 cups sauce. I cooked 8 oz dry macaroni for this recipe.
