Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese

26th October 2022

Creamy, flavourful mac ‘n’ cheese made with simple, seasonal ingredients!

Ingredients

700g pumpkin or squash
herb oil
2g sage
100ml extra virgin olive oil
3g garlic
béchamel
50g plain flour
50g flora butter
500ml oat milk
2g nutmeg
4g salt
160g vegan cheese grated (we used sheese)
macaroni
1.5 liters water
150g macaroni
25g rock salt topping
20g pumpkin seeds
2g sage
2g nutritional yeast
10g golden breadcrumbs
2g chilli flakes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. cut the pumpkin into small chunks.

2. Make the herb oil to drizzle on top. use a hand blender to blitz the oil, sage, and garlic.

3. Dress the cut pumpkin with the herb oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

4. In the meantime, bring the water to a boil, add the salt, and cook the macaroni for about 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta and cool under cold water.

5. Once pumpkin is cooked, remove from the oven. Leave the oven on for later as we will be grilling the dish at the end.

6. Make the béchamel by melting the butter in a pot, over medium–low heat. Gradually mix the flour in to create a roux. Add the milk in 3 – 4 parts, stirring well. continue to stir and cook the béchamel for 10 minutes. It will be ready when it starts to simmer. Remove from the heat, grate the nutmeg into the béchamel, and add the salt and 140g of cheese.

7. Divide the baked pumpkin into two bowls. blitz one bowl with a hand blender and mix into the béchamel. Pour the béchamel over the macaroni. add the remaining baked pumpkin to the mix.

8. Spoon into a baking dish, top with the remaining 20g of cheese, and grill for 10 – 15 minutes. Once golden brown on top, remove it from the oven, and let it cool for 5 minutes.

9. Make the topping by blitzing sage, breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, chili flakes, and pumpkin seeds in a blender. Sprinkle on top and enjoy!