Finally, fall is in the air! It was a crisp 45 degrees here this morning, perfect for early morning baking and making one more batch of this creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese. It’s so simple and has a rich flavor perfect for dinner on a cool evening.
I have made this both with “regular” dairy cheese and also with non-dairy shredded cheese from Daiya. I also have made this with no cheese, which is an easy cooktop version for dinner in a hurry. I’ll share how to do all three versions below in the recipe.
If you are looking for another version of Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese, here’s the one I created two years ago. I used Woodchuck’s Pumpkin Hard Cider in that version. I’ve got another recipe to share with you soon using that same hard cider. I get to excited when it returns to the stores in the fall!
Alrighty, on to the recipe. Here ya go, Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese, gluten-free with a dairy-free option. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese (gluten-free, dairy-free option)
Ingredients
- 1- Sixteen ounce package gluten-free pasta of your choice
- 3 Tablespoons butter , Earth Balance or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (Johnna's blend is here)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups milk or non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
- 1- Fifteen ounce can pumpkin puree
- 3 cups shredded cheese or non-dairy cheese (optional)
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-
Place pasta pot with water on stove and bring to boil; cook noodles according to instructions.
-
While pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan (I use this), melt butter/Earth Balance/coconut oil over medium heat. Once melted, stir in flour. Stir until well combined, creating a quick roux.
-
Next whisk in milk. Add nutmeg, pepper and salt. Continue cooking over medium until this has thickened to a gravy consistency, just on the thin edge of gravy, not overly thick.
-
Stir in the pumpkin puree.
-
At this point, your noodles should be done cooking and drained. Stir them into the cream sauce.
-
You can stop now and serve this as is OR you can add cheese and bake.
-
If adding cheese:
-
Have a 9x13 baking dish ready.
-
Stir in one cup of the shredded cheese to the pasta and cream sauce combination.
-
Place 1/2 of this into the 9X13 baking dish.
-
Top with one cup of shredded cheese.
-
Add the remaining 1/2 of the pasta and cream sauce combination. Top with remaining shredded cheese.
-
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link for a pan I use regularly in my kitchen. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission. You will get the same great price. I use affiliate links to offset the costs of maintaining this website and bringing original recipes to you at no cost. I appreciate your support!
Oh yum, Johnna! I’m baking pie pumpkins this weekend so I’ll be looking for lots of ways to use my fresh puree! 🙂
Thanks!
Shirley
Oh, so envious! I must get to the local pumpkin patch to cook pie pumpkins soon. Do you ever freeze your puree?
Johnna, I actually picked these up at the grocery store. I’ve never seen a pumpkin patch that has pie pumpkins. I’ve only seen pumpkins for carving at pumpkin patches. I have seen pie pumpkins at some farmer’s markets. Oh and, yes, I do freeze puree sometimes, if I don’t use it all first! Frozen from fresh puree is much better than canned, but not quite as good as using fresh. 🙂
Our local pumpkin patch is also a small farm stand, so pie pumpkins galore. Now I must go get some and try freezing it!!
Ok. I’m taking the plunge. Gonna make this for lunch and hope my kiddos are none-the-wiser! Haha. It sounds delicious to me! 🙂
Yay! Can’t wait to hear how it goes…