Loaded Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Since now it’s officially Fall,
it’s time to start slipping pumpkin recipes onto our tables~
People are either avid lovers or haters of pumpkin recipes!
Pumpkin is a great source of nutrients too
Cooking the chicken and pasta in chicken broth
really amps up the flavor!
First, poach the chicken in chicken broth by bringing it to a boil,
then covering the pan and turning off the heat
As the burner cools down the chicken will gently poach
and after 20 minutes, it will be juicy and tender
Note: you must use chicken tenders, or cut boneless breasts into smaller pieces or it will take longer to cook. If your chicken doesn’t quite cook all the way, no worries, it will finish during baking
While chicken is cooking,
cook the bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet,
for 15-20 minutes until crisp and cooked through
scoop up about 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat and set it aside
Remove chicken from broth, but don’t discard broth
Add the pasta to the broth in the sauce pan with additional kosher salt
Bring to a boil, stir, and cover
Again, turn off burner and let pasta sit on the burner
As the burner cools down the pasta will gently cook
You can leave your pasta like this for 10 minutes
or up to an hour or more,
and it will be perfectly cooked whenever you are ready for it
If you use a multi surface pasta like rotini,
it really grabs and holds the sauce,
making the pasta taste even better
The dreamy, creamy, pumpkin sauce is simple to make
Melt the reserved bacon grease in the bottom of the sauce pan
Pour the broth from the pan into another container and set aside
You can use 1 cup of this same broth for the sauce
or use a fresh cup of broth
Discard or save the extra broth for another use
Once the bacon grease has melted, add the rest of the sauce ingredients
Season the sauce with cinnamon and nutmeg
Stir to blend and thicken, then add the cheese
Chop the chicken and bacon
Now put the pasta, chicken and bacon
{save some bacon for garnish if desired}
into the sauce in the pan
Stir it well and transfer it to a deep casserole dish
{3 quart with lid}
Sprinkle with more cheese and cover
Can be refrigerated at this point for up to 24 hours
Bake at 325, covered for 45-60 minutes or until hot and bubbling
Baking time will depend on temperature of dish
Loaded Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni rotini, or spiral pasta
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 lb boneless chicken tenders
- 4 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 T kosher salt
- salt & pepper
- 4 oz. Italian blend grated cheese or Parmesan
Instructions
- Roast bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 for 15-20 minutes, checking often near the end of cooking time, and remove from oven when crisp. Drain on paper towels and reserve 1 T bacon drippings from pan by using a spoon to scoop it up from the parchment.
- While bacon is cooking, put 3 cups of chicken broth in large sauce pan.
- Add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Cover pan and turn burner off, leaving chicken on the burner.
- After 20 minutes remove chicken from broth and put it on a safe cutting surface.
- Add 1 T of kosher salt and pasta to broth in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once pasta is boiling, cover pan and turn burner off, leaving pan on burner. Let pasta sit for at least 10 minutes to soften and absorb broth.
- While pasta is cooking chop the chicken and bacon.
- Drain pasta and set aside. Place reserved bacon grease in pasta pan.
- Put pan back on burner on medium heat. When grease has melted add remaining 1 cup chicken broth, pumpkin and cream.
- Stir to blend and thicken. Season with cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Add 3 oz. cheese and stir until melted.
- Return pasta to pan with sauce and stir in cooked chicken and bacon. Transfer mixture to a greased 3 quart baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Cover and refrigerate until baking.
- Bake covered at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes until hot and bubbly. Cooking time will depend on temperature of dish at baking time. Reheat leftovers covered at 300 degrees or microwave individual portions.
Don’t be put off by the length of the recipe
it’s very easy to make,
and oh so worth it!
This will make anyone a pumpkin lover!
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Doesn’t this sound good! Thank you!
Perfect for pumpkin time!
🍁🎃🍁
Happy Fall!
Thank you Nancy, sometimes you need some creamy cheesy pasta!
I never would have thought about adding the pumpkin but this sounds quite good and really, not too hard. I love the idea of the broth for the pasta, too.
Pumpkin is a magic ingredient Jeanie!
Oh goodness, Jenna! This recipe sounds divine! Pinning for a weekend at the lake later this fall! Thank you!
Thank you Laura, I hope y’all enjoy it!
Perfect!
Hard to beat Mac & Cheese!
Jenna, this looks fabulous and I love the flavor of pumpkin! It is perfect for autumn! Happy Tuesday!
Thank you Pam, pumpkin adds a lot of nutrients as well as flavor, win-win!
Jenna I love these recipes that can be made ahead of time and refrigerated ….perfect for those busy days and the pumpkin in this recipe is perfect for this time of year. Have a great and wonderful day and take care my friend.🙏🏻🥰🙏🏻 Kari @ Me and My Captain
Me too Kari, by 5 o’clock all I want to do is sit and enjoy a cocktail! 🙂
What a surprise to put pumpkin in a pasta dish. I love this idea!
It makes a heavenly sauce!
Gourmet comfort food in every bite!
Thanks Mary 🙂
What a great recipe and fun to celebrate fall by adding pumpkin to our menus and recipes. Missing you Jenna……..
Thank you Emily, me too…
This sounds like a perfect Fall comfort meal, Jenna. You’re always cooking up something yummy in your kitchen.
Thank you Kitty, and so are you!
Your pumpkin water color is beautiful and the idea of adding pumpkin to Mac and cheese takes it to a new level. Great recipe -thx
Thank you Judee, I love the flavor and nutrients it adds
Sounds so tasty Jenna, everything is better with bacon! ♥
I agree! Thanks Mary~
Oh Jenna, this sounds so good that I have to try it. I must admit, I never would have thought about adding pumpkin though but if it involves mac and cheese, I’m up to anything. I also would never have thought about cooking pasta in chicken broth – what a fabulous idea. Thanks for sharing and pinned!
Thank you Kim, it adds so much flavor!
Jenna,
This sounds amazing. Congratulations, you are being featured on TFT. I hope you stop by..
https://eclecticredbarn.blogspot.com/2025/10/dishes-and-desserts-with-pumpkin-on-tft.html
Hugs,
Bev
Thanks so much Bev!