Photo above courtesy of Yellow Bliss Road

Macaroni and Cheese has always been one of my favorite southern comfort foods, I am a big fan of cheese and when you mix that with some pasta, let’s just say….it’s a match made in heaven. While I can’t have mac and cheese on a regular like I would like due to me having to keep a close watch on the carbs, I was very happy when I found this recipe in which incorporated pumpkin in the recipe and with all of pumpkins great benefits, this recipe was proving to not only be good for the body but decrease sugar levels as well.

So I was very excited to be able to fix this recipe but mostly I couldn’t wait to taste it – I mean, I have to be real with you – it’s not every day that you hear about people putting pumpkin in the ooey, gooey mac and cheese so I was a little skeptical at first, I’m a person that falls in love with food based on the taste, not the look – so I knew if the taste wasn’t great then this recipe was going to go down in smokes as there was no plan B!

But to my surprise, this recipe was not only easy (my favorite word) but exceeded my taste expectations as well. If you need a quick, wholesome and nutritious meal to fix or dinner tonight or any night this week, then grab your pens and paper and follow me below as I share the ingredients and cooking instructions to this cheesy surprise!

The Ingredients you’ll need are here:

And the Recipe goes a little something like this:

Directions are as Follows:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package, using minimum cook time.
2. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with whisk. Remove from heat; stir in milk. Heat to simmering; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, mustard and pumpkin. Add 1 3/4 cups of the cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
3. Add macaroni to cheese sauce and stir until coated. Pour into greased 3-quart casserole. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
4. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Optional: If you choose to use bread crumbs, as I did. You’ll melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter in a small pan until all melted then you’ll add in a 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and stir them around in the butter until they are coated, like below..

Now, for my Before and After Pics ~

Now, Let’s Dress this Yummy Goodness Up!!

 

I completed this Cheesy dish with a side of Spinach salad and a piece of boneless, skinless baked chicken thigh and topped it off with a glass of Key Lime Sparkling water and VIOLA! dinner is served!!!  This dish was so good, you could taste the pumpkin a little, it was cheesy and surely a better alternative than using powdered cheese, I really loved how healthy this dish was, It was truly a very good “guilty” pleasure.

As you can see, a little pumpkin can go a long way…I would suggest adding it in a couple of your meals for an extra added boost of nutrition. This recipe was provided by Betty Croker and if you want to make it for yourself or your family, just go here

Now I have to say, my son and daughter didn’t care for this so well, so if you have children, it may be a less non-desired taste for them but there are many ways you can boost this recipe up, by simply adding more cheese and maybe some bacon as your topping. You also don’t have to use a whole can or cup of pumpkin – you can reduce that to a smaller portion of a 1/2 cup or less. I hope you enjoy this nice twist to a very common southern classic. You might even want to plate up some tonight!

Thursday is the last recipe for the month – I’ll be ending the great pumpkin series with a little dessert, so stay tuned!

Did you hear about the giveaway??

To kick off the pumpkin festivities I thought I would do a giveaway – I love to receive things and I know you might too. I’m giving away a $25.00 gift card, here’s what you have to do and how to enter:

Follow @justsuminspiration2u on Instagram

Post a picture of you with one of the 5 recipes featured this month with the caption: “Pumpkins Up! @justsuminspiration2u is doing a giveaway! Enter for a chance to win at justsuminspiration.com.”

That’s It! That’s all you have to do – Remember, you have to make one of the recipes, follow me on Instagram, post your picture of you and the recipe of choice and include the italicized statement with your post. Good Luck!!

The Winner will be announced November 3, 2017 at 1:00pm on the Justsuminspiration blog, Facebook and Instagram pages. Winners will be selected randomly from the list of entries submitted.

Roshonda N. Blackmon – Creator of JustsumInspiration, Author, Speaker & Encourager

Let’s Live Well, Laugh Loud, Love Hard & Inspire Often!

If you missed the other recipe posts, you can view them here:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

There’s a Pumpkin in my Oatmeal!

Let’s Fall In Love, with Pumpkin Soup!!

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, It’s Time for the Great Pumpkin!