Its that time of the year when pumpkins grow in abundance and make their presence felt in the farmer markets. It is literally the cheapest veggie in the market right now. I get excited not only because of pumpkin time but that its fall already and we are blessed with all these festivals and great weather. I always wait for winters since it is the best season to eat with such great varieties of veggies, bathe in the sun with cute little picnic plans, I love to host barbeques for my friends and so on. Living in a hot country like India, you start wishing winter would last longer!

This year I started with a Pumpkin soup and now I am making this Pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese. I am making pumpkin pancakes and Pumpkin cupcakes soon.

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1- 1.5 hours
SERVINGS: 2-3
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

Pumpkin_Mac_n_cheese
Pumpkin_Mac_n_cheese

INGREDIENTS:  

  1. Pumpkin pieces – 1 cup
  2. Almond/Coconut milk – ¾ cup
  3. Cashews – 1/3 cup, optional
  4. Parmesan cheese – ½ cup
  5. Sage – 4-5 leaves
  6. Thyme – 2 sprigs
  7. Garlic – 2-3 cloves
  8. Red Chilli flakes – 1 teaspoon
  9. Macaroni – 1 cup
  10. Olive oil- 3-4 tablespoons
  11. Veggies (Bell Peppers/Boiled Corn) – ½ cup
  12. Pepper – ½ teaspoon
  13. Cinnamon – ½ teaspoon
  14. Nutmeg – ½ teaspoon
  15. Salt – to taste

RECIPE:

  1. Peel the pumpkin and cut it into 2-3 inch pieces.
  2. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes.
  3. Take an oven dish and cover it with aluminum foil.
  4. Add the pumpkin pieces and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Place 2 sprigs of thyme too.
  5. Drizzle olive oil and rub it on the pieces with your hand.
  6. Place the dish into the oven for 45-50 minutes at 180 degrees.
  7. Once the pumpkins have been placed for 30 minutes, turn them with a fork and also toss the garlic pods in (without peeling) for the last 15 minutes or so.
  8. Take the cooked pumpkin pieces out and allow them to cool slightly.
  9. Hot some water and soak the cashews for 15 minutes or so.
  10. Now take the cashews out and places them in a blender.
  11. Now add the baked pumpkin pieces, sage leaves, almond/coconut milk, salt and the garlic pods (peeled) to it.
  12. Add cinnamon and nutmeg powder too and half of the grated parmesan cheese and blend into a fine puree.
  13. Boil the pasta in hot water, oil and salt. Drain the excess water once cooked.
  14. Saute some bell peppers and boiled corn in a pan. Add the pasta and pumpkin sauce to it and mix well.
  15. Turn off the heat and serve hot.