Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon and Caramelized Onions
Posted: 12/16/2013
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Healthier whole wheat pumpkin macaroni and cheese is kicked up a notch with the addition of bacon and caramelized onions. Win-win!
Does pumpkin stop being cool immediately after Thanksgiving? Not in my book. Especially when it’s involved with one of my favorite things — macaroni and cheese.
Throw in bacon and caramelized onions and we’re pretty much in heaven here. Caramelized onions, you guys! I think they definitely make my list of all-time favorite foods. I could eat them on their own. Give me a fork and I’m all set. Heck, maybe I’ll just use my fingers.
Another great thing about pumpkin in this recipe is that it gives you the creaminess every good macaroni and cheese recipe needs but without the added fat. Not only does it not add fat, but it’s also lending some great nutrients. Pair it with hearty whole wheat pasta and you’ve basically got health food. If you can look past that pesky totally-worth-the-splurge bacon.
I adapted this macaroni and cheese recipe from Erin of Well Plated.
I decided to make it for some of my friends who came over for a play date with my kids. Now they won’t come over unless I cook. But I can’t say that I blame them. I ate about as much macaroni and cheese as all of them combined.
For this recipe, I used Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree and Pacific Foods Chicken Simply Stock, both of which come in Tetra Pak packaging rather than cans.
I love that with the Tetra packaging you don’t get that tinny taste of food that is sometimes found with cans. And I love that when it falls out of my cupboard it won’t break my toes. And it doesn’t fall because it is smartly packaged in a rectangular shape that stacks. For someone who is low on space, this is nearly as (or more) important as the fact that they are recyclable and even if you choose not to recycle, these take up less room in landfills.
Pumpkin is always cool!
Looking for more delicious pumpkin recipes? Try:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Healthier whole wheat pumpkin macaroni and cheese is kicked up a notch with the addition of bacon and caramelized onions. Win-win!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces thick-cut bacon (4-5 slices)
- 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- one 16 ounce Tetra Pak container of Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 13 ounces whole wheat macaroni
- 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated or cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
- 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place bacon slices in a single layer on lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until crispy. Leave oven on. Remove bacon from oven and place on a paper towel to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, chop into bite-size pieces.
- Meanwhile in a large, deep skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and saute until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook until caramelized and brown in color, at least 30 minutes or up to an hour. When finished caramelizing, place in a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously. While whisking, add stock, milk, and pumpkin, nutmeg, cayenne, and dried mustard. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta as directed on package.
- Drain pasta and return to pan. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and fold in onions and chopped bacon.
- Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour pasta into this dish. In a small bowl, combine pecorino cheese, Panko breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon olive oil until everything is well coated with oil. Sprinkle evenly over the pasta. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let rest 5 minutes prior to serving.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1of 6, Calories: 649kcal, Carbohydrates: 69g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 832mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 10g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Husband’s take: He was lucky enough to get some leftovers (my friends eat like birds, seriously) and he loves it as well!
Changes I would make: None are necessary at all!
Difficulty: Moderate — only because of slightly increased prep time and orchestrating everything. Read the recipe through before beginning and you’ll be all set!
Rust says
I love this new, convenient carton packaging.
Brenda says
Rachael, I won this giveaway….I want to thank you so much…I love your blog post and get your post via email….I just received my gift card. I chose The Breast Cancer Foundation for my charity donation..
I am a 10 year Suvivor ! So that is dear to my heart.
Thank you
Hugs
Brenda
Bert says
Use pumpkin puree cartons to make this recipe:
Pumpkin pie croissants
All you need is croissant rolls, pumpkin puree, sugar and cinnamon.
Spread the pumpkin puree over each croissant, roll them up, sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon and bake as directed
Sara says
I love making pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin puree in a carton as well as using stock from cartons for the base of soups and sauces. The carton is AWESOME because I can use however much I want, seal the top, and put it back in the fridge for use later which saves me time and money.
Laura says
We try to reduce waste wherever we can. We use cloth shopping bags, and buy mostly whole ingredients. We stay away from processed boxed foods. What waste we do create we recycle. A local company has made it easier as we only have to have glass separated. Plastic, paper, tin, and aluminum all go in one bin and if we take it in ourselves it is free. Anything that can be composted is.
Birdiebee says
I love the fact that there now is a pumpkin puree in the carton. I love pumpkin all year long. It is hard to find pumpkin coffee creamer if not around the Thanksgiving to Christmas holiday season so here is a quick, easy recipe for the creamer: 2 cups half and half
4 tablespoons pumpkin puree
3-5 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Jody C says
Pumpkin Mousse
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. carton pumpkin puree
3/4 cup skim milk
1 package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2-1/2 cups whipped topping
4 crushed vanilla wafer cookies
-Beat cream cheese in a bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin, milk, pudding mix, cinnamon and ginger. Beat for 1 minute or until smooth. Mix in 1-1/2 cups whipped topping.
-Divide pumpkin mixture equally into 8 small dessert containers. Top each one with remaining 1 cup whipped topping.
-Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
-Before serving, top each serving with crushed cookies.
Candice says
The carton of pumpkin reminds me of the tubes of tomato paste. Sometimes you only need a little bit so it’s a waste to open an entire can! It’s perfect for all of the pumpkin recipes around the holiday time!
Melissa M says
I use cartoned pumpkin puree and a box of spiced cake mix. Mix them together, it will be a thick gloppy mess, but once it bakes in the oven for about a half hour at 325 degrees, it makes a delicious cake that doesn’t need frosting and is great for dessert or morning coffee.
Bryn says
My 2 yr old loves puréed pumpkin. Like…cold. Plain. With a spoon. The boxed variety makes it so easy to keep on hand in the fridge without using additional containers. We used boxed broths to cook rice, pastas, quinoa, and barley.
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
YAY FOR PUMPKIN MAC AND CHEESE! Thanks so much for linking up to my site. I can’t wait to try your twist! You are the best :)
One of my favorite things to make when I’m throwing a holiday party is mulled wine. Using boxed wine is perfect, because that way unfinished bottles go to waste–you can simply keep adding to the mulled wine as you need it. http://www.thelawstudentswife.com/2012/12/mulled-wine-hot-wine-vin-chaud/
Thanks for introducing us to the tetra products too! I’m keeping an eye out :)
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
We have soup and wine in fancy boxes like this but that’s it. One day these yummy things will find their way down here. I LOVE your pumpkin mac and cheese.
Lisa Brown says
Carton pureed pumpkin is perfect to use in a pumpkin spiced smoothie, or to use in a pumpkin cheesecake.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com