Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces shellbow pasta , Delallo Foods
Cheese sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked in water for 5-6 hours then drained
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree , not pumpkin pie mix
- 1 cup chicken or veggie broth, Smart Chicken brand
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 4 ounces Velveeta cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
Equipment
- oven safe saute pan
- pasta pot
- colander
- blender
Instructions
Prepare the pasta:
- Boil a pot of water, and cook the pasta according to the package.
- I like to cook mine al dente because it will continue cooking once you add it to the pan with the pumpkin cheese sauce.
- Once cooked to your liking, drain the water and drizzle the pasta with olive oil so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.
Prepare the sauce:
- In a large oven-safe sauté pan add the olive oil, minced garlic, drained cashews, coconut milk and ½ cup of the chicken broth. Stir until well combined.
- Next, you’ll add the Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
- Once the cheese is fully melted, add the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth. Stir well.
- Next, you’ll pour everything into the blender and buzz it together until the cashews are smooth and creamy, no lumps.
- Pour the sauce back into the sauté pan. If it is too thick, simply add a little more chicken broth and stir until it is combined.
Assemble the dish:
- Next, you’ll add the cooked pasta to the sauce.
- Toss everything together until the pasta is well coated in the cheese sauce. Top with the shredded mozzarella or mozzarella pearls, and broil in the oven for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly on the top.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!