Pumpkin Baked Mac and Cheese

Pumpkin baked mac and cheese is a creamy bake of shells or penne, kale and three cheeses in a pumpkin ricotta sauce, ready in 1 hour. It feeds 8, holds up well for make-ahead dinners, and works as a meatless main or a big side dish.

Why This Recipe Works

Cook the pasta about 2 minutes less than the package says. It keeps cooking in the oven and soaks up sauce as it bakes. Shells that start just shy of al dente end up tender instead of mushy.

The sauce is blended smooth: pumpkin purée, garlic, cream, vegetable broth and ricotta. Ricotta gives it body, and the broth keeps the pumpkin from turning heavy and pasty. Blending also means no lumps of garlic or ricotta in the finished dish.

Kale goes into the pasta water for the last minute only. That is long enough to turn it bright and soft, and short enough that it won’t fall apart in the oven. Saving a third of the cheese for the top gives you a bubbly, golden crust.

Pumpkin Baked Mac & Cheese Ingredients

For the pasta bake

• Butter, for greasing the dish
• 1 pound (450 g) medium pasta shells or penne
• 1 bunch kale (about 1 pound / 450 g), ribs removed, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 1 heaping cup grated Parmesan
• 1 heaping cup grated Gruyère
• 1 heaping cup grated Fontina or mozzarella
• Kosher salt, for the pasta water

For the pumpkin sauce

• 1 can (15 ounces / 425 g) pumpkin purée
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup (125 g) whole-milk ricotta

How To Make Pumpkin Baked Mac & Cheese

Prep the oven and the pasta

1. Heat the oven: Set the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish, so the pasta lifts out cleanly when you serve it.
2. Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta in well-salted water, but pull it about 2 minutes before the package time. It will finish cooking in the oven.
3. Add the kale: Stir the chopped kale into the pot for the last minute of cooking. Drain well, so extra water doesn’t thin the sauce.

Make the sauce and mix

4. Blend the sauce: Put the pumpkin purée, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, cream, vegetable broth and ricotta in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
5. Combine everything: In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta and kale with the pumpkin sauce, red pepper flakes, rosemary and thyme. Add two-thirds of the Parmesan, the Gruyère and the Fontina or mozzarella, then stir until every piece is coated.

Assemble and bake

6. Fill the dish: Pour the mixture into the buttered dish and spread it out evenly. Scatter the remaining third of the Parmesan, Gruyère and Fontina or mozzarella over the top.
7. Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the top is golden.
8. Rest and garnish: Let the dish rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles and thickens a little. Garnish with fresh rosemary and thyme, then serve.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t overcook the pasta: The most common mistake is boiling the pasta to full al dente. It keeps cooking in a hot oven, and it will turn soft and mushy if you start too late.
• Grate your own cheese: Pre-shredded cheese has a coating that keeps it from melting smoothly. Grating Parmesan, Gruyère and Fontina yourself gives you a creamier, more even bake.
• Choose plain pumpkin purée: Check the can says pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is sweetened and spiced and will ruin the savory sauce.
• Squeeze out the kale: After draining, shake the colander well or press the kale lightly. Extra water makes the sauce loose and the bake watery.

What To Serve With Pumpkin Baked Mac & Cheese

Serve it hot straight from the dish as a meatless main, with a crisp green salad dressed in lemon and olive oil. It also works as a side next to roast chicken or sausages, and a slice of crusty bread helps mop up the sauce.

How To Store

• Fridge: Cover leftovers and keep them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze portions in airtight containers for up to 2 to 3 months. The creamy sauce may be slightly softer after thawing.
• Reheat: Thaw frozen portions in the fridge, never on the counter. Reheat covered at 350°F (175°C) with a splash of milk or broth until hot all the way through.

FAQs

Can I make pumpkin baked mac and cheese ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble the dish, cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to a day before baking. Add a few extra minutes in the oven, since it goes in cold.

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned purée?

You can, if you roast it and blend it until very smooth. Fresh purée holds more water than canned. Drain it in a fine sieve for a few minutes first, or the sauce will be too thin.

Is this pumpkin mac and cheese vegetarian?

The recipe has no meat or fish, so it fits a vegetarian diet when you use vegetable broth. Parmesan and Gruyère are usually made with animal rennet, so check labels for vegetarian cheeses if that matters to you.

Why is my pasta bake dry or watery?

Dry usually means the pasta was overcooked or the dish baked too long, so it absorbed all the sauce. Watery means the kale or the pumpkin wasn’t drained well. Cook the pasta shy of al dente and drain the kale well.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 8), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 520 kcal
• Total Fat: 24g
• Total Carbohydrate: 54g
• Dietary Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 25g

Pumpkin Baked Mac & Cheese

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Total time

60

minutes

A pumpkin, ricotta and cream sauce coats shells or penne with kale, rosemary, thyme and three cheeses, then bakes until bubbling and golden. A meatless pasta bake that serves 8.

Ingredients

• For the pasta bake

• Butter, for greasing the dish

• 1 pound (450 g) medium pasta shells or penne

• 1 bunch kale (about 1 pound / 450 g), ribs removed, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish

• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

• 1 heaping cup grated Parmesan

• 1 heaping cup grated Gruyère

• 1 heaping cup grated Fontina or mozzarella

• Kosher salt, for the pasta water

• For the pumpkin sauce

• 1 can (15 ounces / 425 g) pumpkin purée

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable broth

• 1/2 cup (125 g) whole-milk ricotta

Directions

• Heat the oven: Set the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish, so the pasta lifts out cleanly when you serve it.
• Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta in well-salted water, but pull it about 2 minutes before the package time. It will finish cooking in the oven.
• Add the kale: Stir the chopped kale into the pot for the last minute of cooking. Drain well, so extra water doesn’t thin the sauce.
• Blend the sauce: Put the pumpkin purée, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, cream, vegetable broth and ricotta in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
• Combine everything: In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta and kale with the pumpkin sauce, red pepper flakes, rosemary and thyme. Add two-thirds of the Parmesan, the Gruyère and the Fontina or mozzarella, then stir until every piece is coated.
• Fill the dish: Pour the mixture into the buttered dish and spread it out evenly. Scatter the remaining third of the Parmesan, Gruyère and Fontina or mozzarella over the top.
• Bake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the top is golden.
• Rest and garnish: Let the dish rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles and thickens a little. Garnish with fresh rosemary and thyme, then serve.