It’s fall and you all know what that means…
Everybody’s pumpkin-ing the shit out of everything. I normally don’t get on board with all that but I had to for this one. This is cheesy, creamy, and a little pumpkiny.
The pumpkin adds an unexpected thing. Depth – that’s the word I’m looking for. It takes you by surprise.
In a good way.
In other words, you won’t be tasting pumpkin pie in this stuff. Or pumpkin lattes, or pumpkin spice whatever. But, you get a nice hint of spice and a lot of creaminess that really compliments the cheeses.
I combined three different cheeses; Cabot sharp cheddar, Muenster and Parmesan and added a little chipotle heat just for fun. I absolutely love the chipotle in this.
This is a very multi dimensional dish, y’all.
Then, then… I topped it all off with crushed Fritos. One of the best culinary decisions ever.
Here’s your printable-
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fusilli pasta (or your favorite)
- 1 stick salted butter
- 3 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 oz. Muenster cheese, shredded
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 6 oz. Cabot Farmhouse Reserve Sharp Cheddar, shredded
- 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp. chipotle sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fritos, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Boil pasta until done; remove from heat and drain.
- Make a roux by melting butter over medium heat and adding flour, whisking until slightly thick and add milk.
- Continue to whisk, add salt and pepper to taste and add in cheeses and chipotle sauce.
- Reduce heat to medium low and continue to stir until all cheeses are melted, adding more milk if needed.
- Remove from heat and pour over pasta, stirring to combine.
- Top with crushed Fritos, cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.
This Post Has 2 Comments
Once again, another brilliant recipe! Great combination of flavors.~Carolyn @ Cabot Creamery
If I didn’t love you so much, I’d give you the middle finger for putting pumpkin in mac & cheese. “Depth” or no “depth,” this really does look delicious. If you really want to hop on the bandwagon and make a cupcake out this — then cook it on a waffle iron. Oh, and make it gluten free. 😉