Creamy Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Goat Cheese, Panko and Sage

Creamy, smoky baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with tangy goat cheese and crispy panko is a decadent and delicious twist on traditional mac and cheese. Creamy with three kinds of cheese and pumpkin, smokiness from smoked Gruyère (or gouda if you like)crunchy topping from parmesan and panko and garnished with lightly butter fried sage. Perfect for a fall meal or holiday side dish.

(Originally published in 2013, updated in 2024)

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Why this recipe is great:

• Easy to make - even with a béchamel sauce ( step by step images below)
• Decadent and delicious- three kinds of cheeses with goat, Fontina and Gruyere lend to creamy, tangy and smokiness to the dish
• Butter fried sage - some is stirred into the dish, some is leftover for garnish. The peppery herb works so well with the pumpkin and cheeses
• Crispy panko topping - baked mac and cheese always needs that crispy topping
• Reheats well for leftovers - the best part

Tip:

I originally made this recipe in two smaller dishes for a two to four serving amount and I realized not everyone has smaller baking dishes so I revamped the recipe for a larger pan and to feed more people. You can always half the recipe if you like.

Pumpkin mac and cheese ingredients:

• Pasta - use a macaroni kind or other large tube pasta that can hold a lot of sauce. I used Lumache in this recipe
• Butter - unsalted
• Flour - all purpose
• Milk - whole
• Nutmeg - freshly grated or ground
• Pumpkin - canned, not pie filling, just pumpkin puree
• Cheeses - goat cheese, Fontina, smoked Gruyere (or Smoked Gouda)
• Panko- Japanese bread crumbs
• Salt, pepper
• Sage - fresh

How to make baked pumpkin mac and cheese:

This recipe has a few steps but really isn't too hard to make. You can boil the pasta while making the béchamel sauce.

I fry the sage first, so they are ready to be added into the dish as well as for the garnish. Heat up some butter then fry the sage for only 30 seconds a side, you don't want them to brown. They will crisp up once cooled on paper towels.

Cook your pasta to just barely al dente. You want it firm to be able to hold up through the baking process, if you cook it to much it will be mushy. Once cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Once the sage is fried, take about ⅔ aside and chop up, leave 8 or so whole to garnish on top once the mac and cheese is baked.

Make the béchamel:

Start with melting some butter, then whisk in the flour. Traditional béchamel is made with equal amounts butter and flour for each cup of milk ( 240 ml milk). Typically it is 3 ounces each butter and flour (85 g each) for thickening up to a quart of milk (945 ml). I go with a little less milk in my béchamel for a thicker sauce.

Béchamel is one of the "mother sauces", a classic French recipe and technique that is a great recipe to know as the base of many sauces and dishes, especially for making a super creamy mac and cheese. Consisting of butter, flour and milk, it is easy to make.

You want to whisk the flour and butter until super smooth and it turned golden, then whisk or stir in the milk a little at a time, making sure it its stirred very smooth before adding more milk. Once all the milk is added, grate fresh nutmeg over the top.

Add in the cheese and pumpkin and stir until fully melted, season with salt and pepper. Pour this sauce into the mixing bowl with the cooked pasta along with the chopped, fried sage. Mix well to combine.

Spread this mixture into a baking pan. I used a 10x7 pan here. You can also use a 9x9 or bigger pan if you like, adjust baking time if using a bigger pan since the pasta will be spread out thinner.

MMmmmm so creamy!

Substitutions:

Mix the panko with melted butter, grated parmesan and some salt and pepper. Generously cover the mac and cheese with the topping.

How long to bake:

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden and crisp and any sauce showing is bubbling. Remove from he oven and garnish with the remaining fried sage pieces. Serve hot!

Top Tip:

Boil your pasta to just barely al-dente. You don't want overcooked pasta before the dish is even baked. That extra al-dente will give the pasta a nice chew to it and it will help hold on to the sauce better too.

More pumpkin recipes to enjoy

Make it a whole holiday meal:

A few items from my Thanksgiving recipes to try:

Equipment needed:

• Frying pan
• Saucier pan or wide 4-5 quart pot for béchamel sauce
• Large pot for pasta
• Baking dish - I love these Staub baking dishes
• Spatula
• Serving spoon

Creamy Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese recipe:

Smoky, Creamy Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Goat Cheese and Panko

Shanna

Makes 8-10 servings. Prep 10 min,Cooking 30 min (ish)Baking 30 min

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

assembly and cooling time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings 8 - 10

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound pasta - large macaroni or other tube noodle such as cavatappi, I also like using cavatelli or pipe rigate. Basically you want a fat noodle to hold the sauce
• Salt for pasta water, 1 tablespoon or more for every 4 quarts of water
• 85 g unsalted butter
• 1 ounce fresh sage leaves plus a tablespoon or so butter to fry, divided
• 85 g all purpose flour
• 840 ml whole milk, (3 ½ cups) liquid measure
• ½ Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 225 g pumpkin puree, canned or homemade, if canned no other spices or sweeteners added (1 cup)
• 226 creamy goat cheese, (8 ounces), plain
• 118 g shredded fontina or gruyere, (4 ounces)
• 118 g shredded smoked gruyere or gouda, (4 ounces)
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 120 g panko breadcrumbs, (1 cup)
• 60 g freshly shredded parmesan, (⅔ cup)
• ½ Teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

 

• Set out an 9x9 or 10x 7 baking dish ( I prefer ceramic to metal or glass)
• Preheat oven to 375 Deg F (190 c)
• Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until just barely al dente, drain and place in a large bowl (once water is boiling about 9 min)
  1 pound pasta - large macaroni or other tube noodle such as cavatappi, Salt for pasta water
• Add a tablespoon or so of butter in a sauté pan or small cast iron pan over medium heat. Once the butter is foamy add the sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds a side, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to cool. Chop half the leaves into pieces, set aside the whole leaves for garnish.
  1 ounce fresh sage leaves plus a tablespoon or so butter to fry
• In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until a thick paste forms then keep cooking while whisking for another 2-3 minutes.
  85 g unsalted butter, 85 g all purpose flour
• Slowly add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly keeping the mixture thick. Keep adding the milk a little at a time. and once all the milk is added whisk until it’s the consistency of pudding. About 7 min. Whisk in the grated nutmeg.
  840 ml whole milk, ½ Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Add in the pumpkin, goat cheese, fontina, gruyere, salt and pepper and mix well with a spatula. Pour into the bowl with the macaroni and mix until well combined. Add in the chopped sage and mix. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
  225 g pumpkin puree, 226 creamy goat cheese, 118 g shredded fontina or gruyere, 118 g shredded smoked gruyere or gouda
• In a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, melted butter and parmesan and some freshly ground pepper. Stir well. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the baking dish.
  1 Tablespoon butter, 120 g panko breadcrumbs, 60 g freshly shredded parmesan, ½ Teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper
• Bake for 25-30 min or until the top is golden brown and pasta is bubbly. If the top is browning too quickly, cover the pan with foil, if not golden on top by 30 min has passed, set the oven to broil for one to two minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with the remaining whole fried sage leaves.
• Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

You want a mix of melty cheese with smoky melty cheese. I found 4 ounces of both a melty cheese and a smoky cheese is the perfect ratio.

I love using Fontina and either smoked gruyere or smoked gouda.

You can double this recipe for a crowd, use a 13x9 baking dish.

This pasta reheats well in the oven, keep covered in foil and reheat at 350 Deg f until bubbly and hot, take the foil off for the last minute or two to re-crisp the panko.

The sage is optional but it add a nice herbaceous note and works really well with the pumpkin flavor.