Market Recipe Blog: Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Give your mac n’ cheese a fall twist with this pumpkin variation topped with pumpkin seeds! This would be a fantastic fall dish to serve at any dinner party, as a weeknight meal, or a lovely side for the upcoming holiday season.

Recipe

• ½ cup roughly crushed tortilla chips
• 2 tbsp raw shelled pumpkin seeds
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• Cooking oil

• 4 cups dry macaroni (optional: use gluten-free macaroni)
• 1 russet potato, cubed
• ½ cup pumpkin puree (from one small pie pumpkin, roasted until soft  and flesh scooped out)
• 1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese OR ¾ cup + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, divided (vegan option)
• 1 tbsp mustard
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper
• ½ to ⅔ cup water

Instructions

1. Bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil. Steam or boil the cubed potato until fork-tender. Keep the boiling water and use it to cook your macaroni according to package directions. Drain when pasta is al dente.
2. Prepare the crunchy topping by mixing crushed tortilla chips, pumpkin seeds, dried parsley, and 2 tbsp nutritional yeast. Spread this mixture onto a baking sheet, spray it with cooking oil, and toast at 375 F until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. In a food processor, blend the cooked potato, pumpkin puree, 3/4 cup nutritional yeast, mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup water until very smooth. Adjust flavours and consistency as needed.
4. Combine cooked pasta with sauce and mix until coated. Transfer to a serving dish and top with topping mixture. Serve while warm.

Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:30AM-1:30PM at the UBC Bookstore, and Saturdays 10AM-2PM at UBC Farm. Learn more about our produce and browse other recipes in our Market Recipe Blog. Recieve regular market recipes from our newsletter here.