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This super easy One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the perfect recipe for sneaking in autumn vegetables. Simply brown some butter and garlic in a large pot and toss in some elbow macaroni and canned pumpkin. Then boil everything together in water with a splash of milk and a few ounces of cream cheese. Together these ingredients create a creamy mac and cheese that’s wholesome and delicious. This simple pumpkin mac and cheese is made all in one pot, in just 30 minutes.
I wasn’t going to make this, but then I made this, and I am so pleased that I did. Sometimes simple recipes really shock me with their ease and deliciousness. And I have to say, this recipe shocked me.
So much flavor in such a simple and quick cooking recipe that only uses one pot. I hesitated to make this for two reasons. I have been baking and cooking with a lot of pumpkin lately. And if it’s not pumpkin, it’s butternut squash. I don’t want us all to get tired of pumpkin recipes before November even starts.
But I got home from New York and this sounded really delicious and simple to make. Which after traveling all day was very, very ideal.
And then, on top of that, I came home to 20-degree temperatures and bitter-cold snow. It’s officially gone from fall to winter here. Most of the leaves have fallen. This first round of snow brought any stragglers down.
This means all the more reason to make a cozy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe. I didn’t question it, and to my surprise, it ended up turning out even more delicious than what I had dreamt up in my head.
Here are the details
This recipe starts out with butter, garlic, thyme, and sage. Cook this mix together and allow the butter to brown. Once you’ve browned the butter, remove the sage from the pot and set aside, but leave everything else.
Add the pasta and toss it in with the butter. Next goes the water to cook the pasta. And then a nice pinch of salt. Stir this until the pasta is al dente.
The rest is quick and easy. Add the milk, some cream cheese to thicken the sauce, canned pumpkin, and a mix of cheddar and gouda cheese. Then add the spices.
Stir the pot and continue cooking until the cheeses have all melted.
When it’s creamy and looking delicious (and delicious smelling), it’s done. I top the mac and cheese with the reserved sage leaves and grated nutmeg. And honestly, it’s perfect.
You can taste the warm sweetness from the pumpkin, but it’s subtle and so yummy when paired with gouda cheese.
Asher ate this up right away and never questioned the addition of pumpkin, so I’d say it’s also kid approved! Happy to now have this recipe as a staple for the fall months.
It really is perfect. Quick to make and very little mess. It’s a wonderful creamy mac and cheese that I think is even more delicious than classic!
Delish!
Looking for other one pot recipes? Here are my favorites:
French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 617 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 9 leaves fresh sage
- 1 pound short-cut pasta
- 1 cup canned coconut milk or whole milk
- 3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded creamy gouda cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Melt the butter with the garlic, thyme, and sage in a large pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown around the garlic, 3-5 minutes. Once browned, remove the sage leaves and set aside. 2. To the pot, add the pasta and toss with the butter. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Do not drain the water. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin, and cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente, about 4-5 minutes more. 4. Pick out the garlic cloves and set aside. Add the cheddar and Gouda, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and nutmeg, and stir until melted and creamy. Remove from the heat. 5. If desired, chop or mash the garlic and stir in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce feels thick, add ¼ cup milk or water to thin.6. Divide the mac and cheese between bowls. Top with black pepper, the reserved sage, and grated nutmeg.
Thank you so much for the One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe. Made it this evening for super. Excellent! A perfect side dish for the fall.
Awe thanks so much Lorraine!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xT
Delicious and easy! Made this for my husband’s birthday with pork chops and sautéed kale. The pumpkin was subtle and made it so creamy. I used coconut milk which also worked nicely. I realized we only had smoked paprika, but this actually worked well I thought. (:
Hey Julie,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This gets a mixed review because my husband really liked it and I really didn’t. I’m not exactly sure why — the ingredients were good! — but I guess I felt the pumpkin didn’t lend much flavor and that it was sort of “gloupy” with not much liquid and a lot of cheese. Perhaps a bit more liquid and more pumpkin would have improved it for me. In any case, I’d gladly eat it again, but my husband will have to make it, not me!
Hi Helen,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Made this earlier in the day for dinner tonight. Added the cool pumpkin puree first, then cream cheese & then slowly whisked in the milk. There was no separation of the milk ( 1/2 cup low-fat milk, 1/2 cup half & half). A half-hour before serving I spooned the room-temperature pasta into a rectangular glass pan and baked it for about 30 minutes till warmed through and broiled for 5 minutes to get a crispy topping. Definitely making it again.
Hey Wendy,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
Love this! I was craving Mac n cheese and you came out with this just in time! I just left the garlic in, I love it that way. Surprise mystery garlic gifts haha. Served with sautéed green beans with shallots. Made an excellent Halloween dinner.
Hey Lydia,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! 🎃
Loved this recipe, came together in 30mins or so and had a good punch of flavor. A few notes: I didn’t add the fresh garlic until after frying the sage. I added in thin slices of the fresh pasta, sautéed for 30seconds, then added pasta. Only boiled the pasta in water for 4 mins (maybe because of nice quality from Eataly?) before moving to the next step. If I had boiled for 8 mins, would have been mush, so make sure to be tasting. Used kabocha squash puree, which I prefer since it is a little more savory. Added a 1/2 teaspoon of ground mustard to the spice mix 🙂
Hey Caroline,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Could I substitute another kind of cheese for the gouda? It’s not a fave around here!
Hey Amanda,
Sure, havarti and gruyere would also be delicious! I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Fresh herbs are hard to come by where I live. Would dried work, and if so, in what amount?
Hi Victoria,
Sure, dried herbs will work for you, for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs you can use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Easy and super delicious. I will be having leftovers for Halloween night. We are thinking about adding some lobster to it for a little something extra today. Thanks so much for sharing this yummy recipe!
Hi Marion,
Love it!!🤩 So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xx
This was excellent!
Funny story, I used conchiglie pasta for this and when it came time to pull out the cloves I couldn’t find them because they completely blended in with the pasta so we ate very cautiously trying to avoid biting into a big old clove of garlic lol. I made your 5 ingredient beer bread alongside it (used pumpkin beer) and wow it was fantastic too! For an extra special touch I had your Snif x HBH pumpkin smash candle burning and it was as close to a perfect fall meal as you can get!
Thanks for sharing another fantastic recipe!
Hey Lori,
Lol oops!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try as well as the beer bread, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Halloween! xx
This is incredible! I made it as a side dish – and it was the favorite dish on the table! So easy too! Thank you so much!
Hey Megan,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
So good! Could you do a Buffalo chicken Mac and cheese soon? I just can’t find any recipes that have the Tiegan touch 🙂
Love this idea Emma!! Might have to share one soon:)
So amazing. I used pasta wheels and added some chopped cauliflower with the pasta. I love that the pumpkin flavor is so subtle in this dish. My kids both ate and loved this without ever realizing there was pumpkin and cauliflower in it (yay for extra nutrients). My husband also loved this and asked to have it for dinner again. Very wholesome on a rainy October evening while carving pumpkins.
Hey Sarah,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing what worked well for you! xT
This is soooooo good! Each recipe I make I think “this is my favorite!” This will be on constant rotation!!!
Hi Lisa,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Made this yesterday for a side dish at our dinner party and everyone loved it! Would love instructions on how to add a buttery bread crump topping and bake so it would get crunchy on top. I made it in my Staub pumpkin pot on the stovetop but would have made the whole dinner prep a little less stressful if I could have put in oven for a bit.
Hey Michele,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃