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I don’t have a good way to introduce you to this recipe. All I can promise for sure is that it is one of my favorite, easy, healthy(ish) winter comfort meals.
It was born out of the desire to healthify comfort meals, sneak more veggies into my winter diet, and a love for all things pumpkin. It was perfected when I started dating my partner who loves an amazing thick and hearty mac n’ cheese, but can’t handle the amount of dairy that is normally associated with said thick and hearty mac n’ cheese.
It starts with the perfect pasta base. You may think that classic elbow macaroni is the pasta to go with when it comes to proper mac n’ cheese, but I am here to tell you that this is not the case. In fact, I think macaroni is probably one of the worst pastas to choose for such a dish, because, unless you are using an incredibly thin cheese sauce, it is near impossible to encourage the cheesy goodness that is mac to infiltrate the innards of each piece of pasta. My absolute favorite pasta to use for mac n’ cheese is small shells because they have a built in pocket that the cheese can settle in and each piece of pasta is appropriately surrounded and smothered. My second favorite pasta to use is rotini because, while the grooves are small, the grooves are open and they can once again hold a strong cheese sauce to pasta ration.
The second piece to this recipe is the sauce base. This recipe uses the rich goodness of evaporated milk, melted butter, eggs, white pepper, dry mustard, salt, Worcestershire sauce and a little bit of flour to thicken it up. You could stop here and add a cup of water to make a classic mac n’ cheese, but this recipe is not classic, it is pumpkin, so we skip the water and add a whole (15 oz) can of 100% pumpkin puree. The moisture from the pumpkin is enough to make up for the lack of water and gives the sauce a gorgeous orange color and fall flavor.
The third and final piece to this recipe is combining the cooked pasta, creamy sauce, and cheese (of course) to the slow cooker where it is all stirred together and left to cook until you are ready for dinner. With the same amount of prep time that it takes you to make pasta and red sauce you can make a dish of novel mac n’ cheese that will satisfy even your deepest cravings for junk food.
The best part? This recipe makes 6-8 servings and it tastes even better the next day when you reheat it. It really is the perfect winter meal that can be eaten fresh, or, if you somehow don’t lick the slow cooker, be put into the freezer for meals whenever you’re craving a comfort meal without effort.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and I wish you fun and chaos in the kitchen!
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Mac
A classic weeknight favorite reinvented with the addition of pumpkin
Equipment
- 1 4 or 4.5 qt Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry pasta
- 2 cans evaporated milk 15 oz
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup dry milk
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 can 100% pumpkin puree 15 oz
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente.
- Grease your slow cooker with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix all ingredients except pasta and cheese together in a small mixing bowl.
- Drain pasta and pour into your slow cooker.
- Pour the evaporated milk mixture over the pasta and stir.
- Stir in the cheese until evenly distributed.
- Cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The sides may be browned but this is OK.
- Serve! You can add toasted bread crumbs if desired.
Notes
If pumpkin isn’t your jam, substitute the can of pumpkin and 1/4 cup of dry milk for 1 cup of milk and an extra cup of sharp cheddar cheese. This will make a delicious slow cooker mac that everyone will still enjoy.
Recipe
