A Girl in a Tiny Kitchen: Pumpkin Mac N' Cheese

Photo via Chocolate Covered Katie.

 

I saw this recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie the other week and knew I just had to try this recipe. Not only am I a massive mac n' cheese fan, pumpkin was the perfect fall flavor to add into the mix. I wanted to do something interesting for my first real cooking adventure in my apartment, so this was the recipe I chose.

Here's what the recipe called for: 

• 1 can (2 cups) pureed pumpkin (480g)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder, or 2 tsp minced
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt (I also add a little extra)
• 2 tbsp butter spread (such as Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light) OR 2 tbsp olive oil and a little extra salt if needed (30g)
• 1 cup milk of choice (240g)
• 1 cup American or Cheddar shreds (such as Follow Your Heart or Daiya) OR 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
• whatever you wish to go with your sauce (macaroni, quinoa, spaghetti squash, rice, veggies, etc.)

 

You blended the sauce ingredients in a pot, boiled it and then let it simmer while you cooked the noodles/noodle substitute and then blended them in a pot. Here were a few things I discovered when making this recipe:

 

1. You can literally sub in ANY milk. I used vanilla almond milk and it tasted just as good.

2. This version of the recipe is super pumpkin-y and not very cheesy. I put in the two cups of pumpkin and then I added 1.5 cups of shredded sharp cheddar, but it still didn't seem like enough. Next time I'm going to use 2 cups of cheddar and 1.5 cups of pumpkin.

3. You need a lid on your pot when you're boiling and simmering the sauce (also, make sure you use a large pot).

 

A lot of this probably seems like elementary stuff, but I'm a newbie at cooking! I'll make sure to post my next cooking adventure on here (and get some great photos for you guys)!