I just can’t seem to stop celebrating this past week!
My Certified Cicerone pin and badge came in the mail yesterday, sending me off into another frenzied hour of joy.
I got a carwash for the first time in months. With the small amount of time I have for myself, I kind of saw this as a celebration… Oy, I’m getting old.
I also got back into the kitchen! These pumpkin spiced donuts were a regular in my life until a year ago, when my life got tossed around in beautiful ways and I had to move four times because of shifting jobs. I made these delicious donuts again, took one bite and realized something was off… Instead of 1/2 cup of brown sugar, I’d only added 1/4 cup. Well, crap.
They were still delicious, but obviously lacking just a tad.
I did what any normal person would do – melted butter, dipped the tops in butter and then in a mix of cinnamon and sugar.
BOOM. Problem solved.
Then I took another bite. Just to make sure the problem was actually solved.
It was. Oh, my goodness, it was.
I had quite a bit of pumpkin leftover from the donuts, so I made a form of mac ‘n cheese using pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese
Serves | 4-5 |
Prep time | 10 minutes |
Cook time | 45 minutes |
Total time | Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/bitesn5/public_html/wp-content/plugins/getmecooking-recipe-template/recipe-template-functions.php on line 2723 Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/bitesn5/public_html/wp-content/plugins/getmecooking-recipe-template/recipe-template-functions.php on line 2723 55 minutes |
Allergy | Milk, Wheat |
Meal type | Main Dish |
Misc | Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 onion (diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/8 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 12oz whole wheat pasta ((3/4 lbs))
Directions
Step 1 | |
In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. | |
Step 2 | |
Add the onions, garlic and sage and saute until the onions are translucent. | |
Step 3 | |
In a blender (I used my Magic Bullet), combine the pumpkin puree and cooked onions, garlic and sage, and blend until smooth. | |
Step 4 | |
Pour the blended mixture into a saucepan and heat through. | |
Step 5 | |
While the sauce is heating, cook pasta according to package directions. | |
Step 6 | |
Add the mascarpone and parmesan to the pumpkin sauce and stir until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. | |
Step 7 | |
Drain the pasta once al dente, reserving about half a cup of the pasta water. | |
Step 8 | |
Place the drained pasta back into the pot and add the pumpkin sauce, stirring until all the pasta is coated. Add pasta water if necessary to thin out the sauce. | |
Step 9 | |
Any add-ins should be mixed in next - I sauteed chicken apple sausages and added frozen peas to give a little more substance. | |
Step 10 | |
Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and devour. |



Life be good.
You know.. I’ve never been much of a fan of pumpkin; but this looks like it might just be the recipe that turns me to the dark side.. or rather the goodness of pumpkin; looks delicious!
I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! Similar to butternut squash ravioli, but cheesier!
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