Loaded Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

the Painted Apron

8 months ago

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

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword mac & cheese, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin mac & cheese, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin puree

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Servings 6

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.