Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

This pumpkin (below) is a sugar pumpkin from the Greenpoint farmer's market, the kind of pumpkin that is good for pie making. I still want to take another stab at pumpkin pie, but there are so many other delicious things to make with fresh pumpkin! I used this pumpkin to make pumpkin-cranberry muffins, which I'll post later, and this macaroni and cheese.

It was good, but not as outrageously delicious as I thought it would be.  Maybe canned pumpkin would have worked better with this because it's thicker, and the original recipe did call for canned pumpkin after all. 

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
From: BrokeAss Gourmet

Ingredients

8oz of some kind of squiggly pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree or unsweetened canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
Dash nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and cook pasta according to instructions.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Add flour and whisk together until the mixture thickens into a doughy-like substance. Add more flour if needed.  Whisk in the milk, then add the pumpkin and 1/2 of the cheddar (3/4 cup). Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

3. When pasta is finished, mix pasta and sauce well in an oven safe dish. Top with remaining cheddar, more salt and pepper, and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the top of the dish is lightly browned.