Top | Main Dishes

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

(recipe, Katie Hickey)

Introduction

This recipe is actually pretty good for you. I imagine it would be better with white pasta, but I used whole wheat shells, and it worked great.

Ingredients

  1. 1 lb. pasta, such as farfalle, small shells, or elbows
  2. One 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta
  3. One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  4. 2 eggs
  5. ½ cup Greek yogurt
  6. 2 tsp. salt
  7. Freshly ground black pepper
  8. ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  9. ½ tsp. ground ginger
  10. ¾ cup pecans, roughly chopped
  11. ½ cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
  12. 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  13. ¾ cup grated Parmesan, divided

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside. Bring a 4-quart pot of water to boil over high heat, and stir about 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta, and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for a slightly shorter amount of time than specified by the package. (For instance, if the package specifies 10 to 12 minutes, cook for 9 to 10, or until just barely al dente.) Drain the pasta and toss lightly with olive oil.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, pureed pumpkin, eggs, and yogurt. Whisk in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and ginger.
  3. Stir in the pasta and coat completely with the pumpkin mixture. Stir in the pecans, chopped pecans, sage, and garlic. Stir in ½ cup Parmesan.
  4. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan over top. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.