Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Name: Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Prep time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 500 g pasta of your choice; 1 medium-large pumpkin (between 4-5 kg of weight); 2 garlic cloves; 1 sprig of sage; 1 onion, chopped; 500 g Italian sausages; 250 g of spinach leaves; 100 ml of dry white wine; 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil; 30 g of unsalted butter; 250 g of diced fiordilatte mozzarella (optional); Extra Grana Padano to grate on top; 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs; A few sage leaves; Salt and pepper to taste; 750ml of milk (warm, if possible); 60g of butter; 60 g of plain flour; 400 g of grated Grana Padano; Salt and pepper to taste

9 steps

Prep:2h

As an Italian from Italy, I never had mac & cheese growing up, so I didn’t know what it was. It was only when I started traveling that I found out that the “mac” stands for macaroni (aka maccheroni for an Italian) and that this dish was simply a naughtier version of our homely “pasta al forno” (baked pasta). Here it is a more Italianised and seasonal take on this worldwide dish with the addition of pumpkin and Italian sausage and using my favorite Italian cheese, Grana Padano. Chef’s tips: This recipe works well even in smaller portions without the whole pumpkin but if you want to impress your guests, make sure you adjust the cooking time according to the size of your pumpkin. This is the time to use your chef’s instinct!

Updated at: Mon, 02 Oct 2023 17:37:54 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories976.7 kcal (49%)

Total Fat51.2 g (73%)

Carbs89.9 g (35%)

Sugars16.2 g (18%)

Protein40.4 g (81%)

Sodium1555.5 mg (78%)

Fiber4.9 g (18%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Instructions

Step 1

Wash the pumpkin and open it from the top. Make sure you remove enough of the pumpkin so that you have a nice big cavity to stuff with the pasta later on.

Step 2

Remove all of the seeds and the mushy flesh and season the pumpkin with salt, pepper, olive oil, sage leaves and crushed garlic. Now cover with foil and bake at 180°C

Step 3

for at least 40 minutes. Then remove the foil and keep cooking for another 30 minutes. The pumpkin needs to be soft and cooked through but not too wet. It should have a nice golden colour on the outside. When ready, remove the garlic and sage leaves and put them to one side.

Step 4

Peel the pumpkin flesh left from the cap that you didn’t bake and dice into 2cm cubes.

Step 5

Start by preparing the béchamel. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes while stirring, on a medium heat until the roux (mix of butter and flour) is golden. Then pour in the milk and bring to the boil, while whisking vigorously. Boil for 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. The béchamel should be now ready, creamy and with no lumps. Stir in the grated Grana Padano cheese, until smooth. Season carefully with salt (as the cheese will have already made the béchamel tasty) and a little black pepper. Set aside.

Step 6

Remove the skin and chop the sausages. In a large pot, brown the sausage meat with a drizzle of oil. When the meat starts to colour add the chopped onion, the chopped pumpkin and a knob of butter. Cook everything on medium heat and when golden pour in the white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate and when everything is cooked through remove from the heat.

Step 7

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water following the packet instruction until “al dente”. Drain and toss into the sausage and pumpkin ragu. Mix well adding a splash of pasta water and the fresh chopped spinach. The remaining heat will cook it.

Step 8

Now add the Grana Padano cheese sauce and mix well. At this stage season to taste and optionally, for extra gooiness you can add chopped mozzarella.

Step 9

Now fill the pumpkin cavity with the creamy mac and cheese and place any left-over in a greased baking tray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and plenty of grated Grana Padano for a crispy crust and bake again at 180°C for about 15 minutes or until golden on top. Feel free to use the grill option on your oven to speed up the process.