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This super easy One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the perfect dish for sneaking in autumn vegetables. Simply brown some butter and garlic in a large pot and toss in some elbow macaroni and canned pumpkin. Then boil everything together in water with a splash of milk and a few ounces of cream cheese. Together these ingredients create a creamy stovetop mac and cheese that’s wholesome and delicious. This simple pumpkin mac and cheese is made all in one pot, in just 30 minutes.
I wasn’t going to make this, but then I made this, and I am so pleased that I did. Sometimes simple recipes really shock me with their ease and deliciousness. And I have to say, this recipe shocked me.
So much flavor in such a simple and quick cooking recipe that only uses one pot. I hesitated to make this for two reasons. I have been baking and cooking with a lot of pumpkin lately. And if it’s not pumpkin, it’s butternut squash. I don’t want us all to get tired of pumpkin recipes before November even starts.
But I got home from New York and this sounded really delicious and simple to make. Which after traveling all day was very, very ideal.
And then, on top of that, I came home to 20-degree temperatures and bitter-cold snow. It’s officially gone from fall to winter here. Most of the leaves have fallen. This first round of snow brought any stragglers down.
This means all the more reason to make a cozy pumpkin mac and cheese recipe. I didn’t question it, and to my surprise, it ended up turning out even more delicious than what I had dreamt up in my head.
Here are the details
This recipe starts out with butter, garlic, thyme, and sage. Whisk this mix together and allow the butter to brown. Once you’ve browned the butter, remove the sage from the pot and set aside, but leave everything else.
Add the pasta and toss it in with the butter. Next goes the water to cook the pasta. And then a nice pinch of salt. Stir this until the pasta is al dente.
The rest is quick and easy. Add the milk, some cream cheese to thicken the sauce, canned pumpkin, and a mix of shredded cheddar cheese and gouda cheese. Then add the spices.
Stir the pot and continue cooking until the cheeses have all melted.
When it’s creamy and looking delicious (and delicious smelling), it’s done. I top the mac and cheese with the reserved sage leaves and grated nutmeg, some breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese would be great, too!
You can taste the warm sweetness from the pumpkin, but it’s subtle and so yummy when paired with gouda cheese.
Asher ate this up right away and never questioned the addition of pumpkin, so I’d say it’s also kid approved! Happy to now have this recipe as a staple for the fall months.
It really is perfect. Quick to make and very little mess. It’s a wonderful creamy pumpkin cheese sauce that I think is even more delicious than classic!
Delish!
Looking for other one pot recipes? Here are my favorites:
French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Brown Butter Pumpkin Tortellini Alla Vodka
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 617 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 9 leaves fresh sage
- 1 pound short-cut pasta
- 1 cup canned coconut milk or whole milk
- 3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded creamy gouda cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Melt the butter with the garlic, thyme, and sage in a large pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown around the garlic, 3-5 minutes. Once browned, remove the sage leaves and set aside. 2. To the pot, add the pasta and toss with the butter. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Do not drain the water. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin, and cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente, about 4-5 minutes more. 4. Pick out the garlic cloves and set aside. Add the cheddar and Gouda, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and nutmeg, and stir until melted and creamy. Remove from the heat. 5. If desired, chop or mash the garlic and stir in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce feels thick, add ¼ cup milk or water to thin.6. Divide the mac and cheese between bowls. Top with black pepper, the reserved sage, and grated nutmeg.
This post was originally published on October 26, 2022
Is there a way I can make and keep it warm in crockpot without overcooking or drying it out. We’re having a Halloween party and this is perfect.
Hi Maria,
Sure, I would just make this as is and then transfer to the crockpot and keep on warm. You could add a touch of cream if needed throughout the evening. I hope this helps!
Easy and the perfect cozy fall meal. Subbed goat cheese for cream cheese because I didn’t have any.
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!🎃 Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Absolutely delicious! Made exactly as written, no changes required.
Hey Rachelle,
Happy Friday! I really appreciate you making this recipe and reporting back. Thrilled it turned out well!
Yummy but I will definitely reduce the shredded cheese next time. I liked the cheddar and Gouda combo but it was just too much.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for making this recipe! Love hearing your feedback. Have the best week!
I was a bit hesitant about this recipe, having never made anything from this site before, and having had mixed success with undrained pasta meals previously, but I had some fresh squash puree I wanted to use in a meal for a friend who recently lost her husband, so I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprise. It was better than I expected, and came together in less than an hour. The texture was lovely. Proportions of liquid, pasta, cream cheese and pumpkin were just right, as was timing. I doubled the recipe so I’d have some to take and some to feed my family, and it worked just fine. I used 1T kosher salt, but had to add more. I’ll try 1T regular fine salt next time, and there will be a next time. The fried sage leaves were amazing! Would have liked double of those. I made some adjustments for cost, convenience, and taste: minced the garlic and left it in; less cheese (probably why I wanted more salt), and parmesan instead of gouda (it’s what I had); no paprika, pwd. garlic, pwd. onion or cayenne. Next time I will try a pinch of cayenne and more garlic, and buy some Sargento aged gouda slices (my favorite grocery store gouda). And double the sage! Thanks for a yummy recipe!
HI Carolyn! So glad you gave this recipe a try, and I’m touched you made it as a comforting meal for your friend! Love hearing how you adapted it with what you had on hand! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughtful feedback and tips, and I’m happy to hear this one will be a repeat for you! 🙂 xT
Turned out tasty! Not too much sauce, not too cheesy, very herby and pleasant. Not much pumpkin flavor so I see kids liking it. Would make again.
Hi Emma,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
This dish has good flavor. A few suggestions. I added more spices to taste (I added more salt, cayenne, and I added white pepper), and I would cut the cheese by half. I cut it by a third as I was adding the cheese in and the noodles were still absolutely swimming with cheese. “Can I have more noodles and less cheese?”, was said at the table. I think less cheese would also make the pumpkin shine more. Of course, these are just my family’s preferences. Thank you very much for the recipe.
Thanks so much, Michelle! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your notes, so glad it was enjoyed! xx
Delicious! I didn’t have special cheese so I used only cheddar, also added peas and would have added bacon if I had some. Kids liked it too.
Thanks so much, Suz:) I’m so glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely and appreciate you making it! XxT
Oh my oh my oh my 😍 This was FANTASTIC!! Comforting & indulgent & delicious, & everything a good mac should be !
Hey Hannah,
Wonderful! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for trying it! Have the best autumn weekend! xT
Grocery store was out of both fresh and dried sage – any dried spice alternatives? Is it worth trying without it?
Hey Sydney,
No worries, you can skip it or use some other seasoning like rosemary or oregano! I hope you love this dish! xT
hi! i plan on making this next week – if i wanted it to be enough to fill a 3 qt pyrex dish, would i need to double the recipe?
Hi Nadia,
No, I don’t think you would need to double this, it makes quite a bit! I hope you love this dish! xT
Thank heavens! A pasta recipe that actually uses the full box of pasta!
I hope you love the recipe, Hollie!!
Hi.
This sounds very good. But you numbered on the section for making dish, 1-2-4-5-6.
No 3. Just making sure that there isn’t a 3, it’s just an error.
Hi there,
So sorry about that, it’s just a numbering error, the recipe is correct otherwise. Please let me know if you give it a try! xT
am so excited to make this!! hoping to add extra vegetables though – do you think it would work to mix in frozen peas or broccoli?
Hey Raleigh,
Totally, either of those would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
thank you for your quick reply!!! i added a pileeeeee of frozen peas & it turned out great! rather than cream cheese i added a log of goat cheese because i had it, & i discovered i had no paprika or onion powder so i added a bit of pumpkin pie spice & a lotttt of trader joe’s “everything but the elote” spice blend & it turned out so well!!!! am sure it will be even better tomorrow
Yay!! So glad to hear this! Thanks for making the recipe:) xx
The only thing disappointing about this is how long I’ve been missing out! It came together so quickly, and fresh sage leaves really elevate this. Definitely a new Fall staple for me.
Hey Amy,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Xx