You can find a printable PDF of the recipe just above the title.
Here’s the scenario:
You just got home from trick-or-treating, and your darling little Baby Yoda and Spider Man are running circles around you, with Tootsie Rolls, Mike & Ike’s, and Milky Ways coursing through their veins. They’re pelting each other with Three Musketeers because “nobody likes those” and trying to steal each other’s top-shelf candy.
“No, you give me your Kit Kats,” they scream.
It’s 6:30 pm, but it feels like midnight. You regret not feeding everyone dinner before hitting up the neighborhood.
As you debate ordering pizza, you remember that your past self set you up for this moment.
“Hey, how about some mac & cheese?”
“Yes!”
So you put on a cartoon, and in 20-minutes, you’ve got a pot of creamy mac & cheese, ready to lull the kids into a post-sugar slumber.
You love that the macaroni cooks right in the sauce (no par-boiling necessary) and takes on a lovely orange color with the addition of pumpkin puree (yep, the kind from the can).
You don’t even mind that you have to grate the cheese yourself — it gives you a meditative moment and something to do as you wait for the liquid to boil.
Of course, even if you didn’t have children to feed, you’ll enjoy this mac & cheese, too. It tastes like a warm hug and pairs nicely with an episode of Gilmore Girls (Seasons 1 through 3, preferred).
Stovetop Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
You can make this mac & cheese with any cheese that melts well, but a young Gruyère’s sweet, nutty flavor tastes especially nice with the pumpkin. (And Gruyère reminds me of fondue, which reminds me of the Alps, which I love.) See below for some other suggestions.
While you can use pre-shredded cheese, it tastes better if you don’t.
3 ½ cups water
½ cup heavy cream
One 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin puree
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
8 ounces young Gruyère cheese (about 6 months of aging) or other melting cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Start cooking the macaroni and grate the cheese
In a large pot, stir together the water, cream, and pumpkin puree with 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Stir in the macaroni and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
While you’re waiting for the liquid to come to a simmer, coarsely grate the cheese on a box grater or use your food processor’s grating attachment.
Finish cooking the mac and cheese
When the liquid reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the macaroni is peeking through the surface of the sauce and it’s just barely al dente, 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add about one-third of the grated cheese, and stir to incorporate. As it melts, add another one-third of the cheese. When it’s melted, add the remaining one-third of the cheese and turn off the heat. Stir, allowing the residual heat to melt the cheese.
Taste and season with more salt if desired. Season with several grinds of black pepper, transfer to bowls, and serve immediately.
Extra credit
Because the texture of the mac & cheese is best when it’s warm, warm the serving bowls for a few minutes in a 150°F to 200°F oven.
Swaps
Other cheese ideas:
7 ounces grated white cheddar cheese with 1 ounce grated Parmesan
4 ounces white cheddar with 4 ounces Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese
4 ounces smoked gouda with 4 ounces young gouda
Instead of macaroni, try other short pasta. Note this recipe was tested with pasta that cooks in 7 to 8 minutes according to the box. If it needs to cook longer (say 10 to 12 minutes), you will need ½ cup more water.
Instead of heavy cream, try sour cream, crème fraîche or mascarpone. Or milk, but it won’t be as rich.
Additions
To up the creamy quotient, add ¼ cup cream cheese and allow it to melt just before adding the grated cheese.
Add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard with the pumpkin puree.
Add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika with the pumpkin.
Stir in ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg before serving.
Fun for kids
Stir together the water, cream, pumpkin, and pasta
Grate the cheese (if they have the hand-eye coordination)