Pumpkin-Chipotle Mac and Cheese
Fast-cooking for an easy lunch, this mac and cheese is laced with pumpkin for a beautiful orange color while a spoonful of chipotles in adobe give it a whisper of smoky heat.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Macaroni
- ½ pound pasta shells
- salt (as needed for salting the pasta water)
For the Cheese Sauce
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot starch
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée (fresh or canned)
- 2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo (minced)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- salt (as needed)
Instructions
Prepare the pasta.
- Boil the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.
Preparing the sauce.
- In a medium bowl, toss the shredded cheese with the arrowroot powder until lightly coated and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, stir the cream, pumpkin purée, chipotles and mustard together over medium heat until well-combined.
- Add the cheese mixture to the saucepan and stir it continuously until the cheese completely melts, and the sauce thickens—about 6 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Turn off the heat.
Finishing the mac and cheese.
- Dump the cooked pasta into the saucepan, and stir until fully coated. Serve warm. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
