Ok, let me start by saying that I LOVE mac n cheese. Especially the cheese part.
But there are times in life when it seems like all of the problems in the world could be resolved by a creamy, comforting bowl of baked pasta swimming in melty cheese.
And then, there are other times when the truth is that no matter how badly we think we want to cozy up with a bowl of baked pasta swimming in melty cheese, the world’s problems (or at least, our personal problems) would actually be resolved with a creamy, comforting bowl of baked pasta made with vegetables (!!) instead. AND, when the latter is made in such a way that you actually crave it it’s really easy to make a dinner pivot and whip up a pan. This Creamy Baked Pumpkin Mac is the recipe we need when that delicious bowl of heavy cheese won’t serve us well, and yet we need something dreamy, comforting and delicious.
This pasta originally came to be when I was dreaming up dairy-free/vegan recipes to serve the gals at Rampage last month. I had a couple of kabocha squashes to roast, a few extra cans of coconut milk, and a vision. I blended up this luxe cheese sauce and poured it over the pasta, then tossed it in the oven to bake. It was a HUGE hit. More popular than the baked ziti version I made alongside it, complete with melty mozzarella, sausage, kale — the works.
Maybe it was the luxe texture. Maybe it was the sweet pumpkin mingling with savory spices. But I have a hunch that the gold star here is that it’s a comforting, nourishing, grounding bowl that doesn’t put your gut in the gutter. (At least, that’s one of the reasons I love it so!)
One of the tenants of Ayurvedic medicine is the notion that ways we combine foods together stands to bolster – or sabotage – our digestive health. In the 9 years I’ve been studying and practicing this medicine, very few practices have landed as powerfully as this one; paying attention, specifically, to the way I combine proteins.
Ayurveda recommends never combining proteins together; this means no meat with beans, cheese or eggs, no cheese with meat or beans, no beans with cheese or meat….you get the picture. And this alone has made a tremendous difference when it comes to my digestive health and comfort. (Read: zero bloating!)
In the case of baked ziti vs. baked pumpkin mac, a traditional baked ziti contains lots of cheese, acid and maybe even heavy meats which is a gassy gut bomb waiting to happen. Pumpkin mac will win everytime because it’s a nourishing, comforting, grounding and DELICIOUS bowl, without the gut bomb.
The past couple of weeks have been full of fall projects + travel here, requiring me to basically have tomorrow’s dinner made before I go to bed at night and, when I realized late on Monday that I planned far enough ahead, I went scrambling. BUT! A few things I had on hand saved the day: some roasted pumpkin (canned pumpkin would do!) cooked white beans (canned would do here too!) and a couple cans of coconut milk…I was in business.
I cranked up the oven + buzzed together the sauce in 15 minutes. I poured it over uncooked pasta noodles, stirred in a bit of sauteed kale and shoved it in the oven. One hour later (just enough time to read books, take a tubby, organize the kitchen and get everyone to the table to eat,) our pasta was ready. AND, we had lovely leftovers for lunched the next couple of days.
Another brownie point: Leo LOVES this pasta. He loves pasta with cheese too, but when we all can sit down to the table and eat the same thing, AND when this tiny boy eats an abundance of veggies without batting an eye I can’t help but swoon.
When a recipe comes to mind twice in a pinch, that’s all the validation I need to add it to this Recipe Library for myself, so I know just where to find it for that third time when the inspiration hits. And so, here it is.
It’s true that the structure of my fridge and pantry might look a little bit different than yours, but that is not a judgement and that is not a barrier to this recipe!
The ingredients I had on hand to make this dish were literally; a quart jar of roasted butternut squash leftover from my Sunday prep day, dried beans I’d been soaking for an impromptu purpose, cans of coconut milk in the pantry and a couple bunches of kale from our CSA. That was about it.
You could absolutely use canned pumpkin, canned beans AND canned coconut milk and make an off-the-chain meal here. But if you’re so inclined to make all of your components from scratch – hell YES and you’ll find some instructions to do so in the Recipe Notes below.
One note on the squash: yes, you can use canned pumpkin instead of roasted butternut. But if you DO use roasted butternut, you want it to be very creamy! See the instructions I give for how to roast the squash below!
This perfect baked mac has been a weeknight savior a few times now, but it’s special + surprisingly delicious enough to serve for your upcoming holidays. The meat-eaters, cheese lovers + vegans at your table will laud you for it….and chances are they won’t miss the cheese!
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