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This stovetop pumpkin macaroni and cheese is a super quick weeknight recipe, made in under 30 minutes. It has an element of creamy richness and spice. Serve it with my endive salad and my zuni-style pollo a la brasa chicken.
I am a macaroni and cheese lover. And stove top macaroni and cheese (you may like my cacio e pepe macaroni and cheese), is a favorite of mine because it’s quick, easy, weeknight-friendly.
This pumpkin macaroni and cheese is a contender. It’s a little spicy and very, very cheesy. You could use another cheese, but I chose to go with raclette, a French cheese that offers a lot of flavor and cheesiness.
Ingredients for Stovetop Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
- Cheese – Listen, you don’ t have to use raclette. It’s expensive
- Jalape̱os РA little kick to an otherwise creamy macaroni and cheese.
- Pasta – I used teeny macaroni because I wanted it to be delivery of lots of that delicious sauce.
- Pumpkin puree – This is the perfect recipe for that leftover pumpkin puree from making pumpkin pie (like this butterscotch pumpkin pie).
- Milk – A roux is my favorite way to make macaroni and cheese. It creates a silky smooth texture.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe card below!
How to Make Stovetop Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
- Boil the pasta. I used macaroni for this. But feel free to use shells or any other type of pasta.
- Shred the cheese. You always want to use a block of cheese that you have to shred. It won’t have any coatings on the cheese and this will result in a cheesier sauce.
- Make the roux. Do this by boiling the milk in a butter/flour/jalapeño combination. This will thicken the sauce and then add the cheese.
- Pour the macaroni into the sauce.
- Serve it up!
Tips and Tricks
- Low and steady wins the race when melting cheese – no one fancies a stringy situation.
- A whisper of nutmeg can bridge the gap between the raclette and pumpkin.
- Want to sneak in some veggies? Spinach or kale will do the tango with the pumpkin.
- Save a bit of the pasta water to loosen up the sauce if it gets too thick.
- Let the mac & cheese sit a moment after baking – it’s hot and needs to catch its breath.
Recipe FAQs
You sure can! If raclette’s a no-show at your local store, gruyère or a sharp cheddar will also cozy up real nice with pumpkin.
Elbows are the old-school choice, but shells or cavatappi can catch more of that creamy sauce. Go for what makes your taste buds tap dance!
Canned pumpkin is the jack-of-all-trades here; just make sure it’s pure pumpkin, not the spiced pie filling.
Aha! Scatter breadcrumbs and a few dollops of butter on top before baking – it’ll crisp up like autumn leaves.
You bet. Assemble it, chill it, and then bake it when the craving hits. Just add a smidge more baking time.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
If you tried this Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- 1 (4-quart) Dutch oven or large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 to 3 jalapeños, deseeded and diced
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 + 1/2 cup whole milk, divided
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 4 ounces raclette cheese, finely grated
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely grated
- Kosher salt , to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Pour in the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 5 to 6 minutes, or as directed per the instructions on the package of pasta.
- To a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, add the jalapeños, butter and flour. Cook the roux, until the butter melts and a paste forms. Whisk in the 2 1/2 cups of milk and bring the sauce to a very slight boil, whisking the entire time, and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow the milk mixture to cool for about 3 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and cheeses. If it’s a bit too thick, you can add a 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup milk. Give it a taste and add salt to taste; I added about 2 teaspoons of salt.
- To the pot, add the macaroni and toss with the cheesy sauce. Give it another taste and adjust the salt to taste (I added a bit more). Serve immediately.
Notes
- gruyéreÂ
- jarlsbergÂ
- comté
- morbierÂ
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for friendsgiving and it was a hit! Everyone asked for the recipe!
I made this yesterday and it’s sooo good! The jalapenos in it are a great slightly spicy balance, but I think it could probably use some more veggies. It’s great fresh with that creamy cheese sauce (pumpkin is perfect against the raclette and gruyere), leftovers are definitely drier but still great. Perfect with an arugula salad w/ vinaigrette to balance the richness.
Yes I knew you were my fave food blog for a reason. #FreeAssata!! It’s such a long shot but I hope Obama pardons her before leaving office. Btw have you tried the pumpkin fondue from Bon Appetempt? Same idea but with bread instead of pasta. To die for
Love this and you. So grateful for your friendship, and also your momaging skills. Happy Thanksgiving!
Yummm
OMG, I live in the land of Raclette and Gruyere cheese and althought I put Gruyere in everything it NEVER occured to me to put raclette cheese in mac n’ cheese. You’ve just opened a whole new world of possibilities for me!!!
Thank you for this beautiful post. I think many of us are feeling this way right now, and it is comforting to hear from kindred spirits : )
And the mac sounds YUM.
Great post and lovely reminder to take a moment to savor the simple things in life!
Oh my goodness! The title of this recipe has so many of my favourite words in it!! This dish sounds incredible – the perfect cosy comfort food – and I can’t wait to try it. Love the idea of using a mix of raclette and gruyere – yum!! xxx