Category Archives: Pumpkin

So this is what Heaven Tastes like

Posted on by
1

Pumpkin.  An autumn cooking staple in my kitchen and in many kitchens across America.  Goat cheese.  Always a favorite of mine and first choice for cheese.  Parmesan shavings.  The next best thing to goat cheese crumbles.

I love macaroni & cheese.  I love it from the box with cut up hot dogs & ketchup.  And I love it even more homemade with a bread crumb topping. 
The first time I ever had macaroni with goat cheese and rosemary was at Cafe Hollander in Milwaukee, WI.  It was love at first bite.  This was in my former life where worries of gluten allergies and cross contamination were the furthest thing from my mind.  When we went to Paris Club for my birthday a few weeks ago, I was looking at their menu options before we went.  They serve macaroni & cheese that I hear is really, really good BUT sadly does not come in a gluten-free option.  Since then, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about macaroni & cheese.  Tonight, I made my first ever homemade mac & cheese just the way I like it.  I came across this recipe from a PBS food blog and decided to give it a try.  One of the best dishes I’ve ever created in my kitchen.     

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with goat/parmesean and rosemary
Ingredients
  • 16 oz gluten-free macaroni style pasta (Trader Joe’s Brown rice pasta)
  • 3 tbsp butter (I used earth balance)
  • 3 tbsp gluten-free all purpose flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 4 cups milk separated (Almond milk original non sweet)
  • 16 oz grated cheese (8 oz. goat cheese/8oz. Parmesan) 
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1.5 tsp fresh minced rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cayenne
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook pasta in boiling water.  Rinse with cold water & set aside.  In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk together and cook for thirty seconds. Add 2 cups milk and minced rosemary and whisk until smooth. Add another cup of the milk (reserving one cup) and continue to whisk. Cook for four minutes while whisking. The mixture will get very thick!  Add 12 ounces of the grated mixed cheese (reserving about a handful of grated cheese) and stir well so that the cheese melts. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne followed by the additional cup of milk and the pumpkin puree.  Once everything is smooth, add the cooked macaroni and toss well. Pour into a 9″13″ casserole pan and top with the remaining grated cheese and the breadcrumbs.  Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Let it cool & don’t try to eat it out of the oven…you will burn your mouth.