Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

We are excited to bring you this month's post from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling. Each month on our blog we feature a "Color of the Week" that corresponds with Veggie Buds Club's veggie of the month. October's veggie is PUMPKIN so we're focusing on ORANGE veggies this month!

Katie Blauser is the mama of two boys, wife of a picky eater, and food lover at Eat Pretty Darling. She believes in making food fun, healthy, & pretty! Katie’s not only outnumbered by boys in her little family, but also by picky eaters. She loves trying to find new ways to get both kids and adults to eat healthy while making food pretty yummy, pretty healthy, and pretty fun! Find Katie on Instagram (@eatprettydarling), where she shares colorful and cute food ideas for both picky and adventurous eaters.

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Color of the Week - Orange

With the leaves beginning to change and fall in the air, it’s the perfect time for pumpkins! We gathered some orange foods at the grocery store to make a family favorite for this week’s #eatprettycoloroftheweek. We had a lot of fun exploring the cheese department this week. There are so many varieties of cheese and they have such different tastes and textures. We settled on cheddar cheese, smoked gouda, butternut squash pasta, and of course pumpkin! Throwing these ingredients together makes a delicious mac & cheese that both my picky eaters and I devoured. The pumpkin isn’t too noticeable but it helps make it the creamiest texture.

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin, or 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces pasta (we found this fun Butternut Squash pasta at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2/3 cup reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup fresh grated mild Cheddar
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Gouda (we used smoked Gouda for added flavor)
• Pinch nutmeg
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil.
2. If you are roasting the pumpkin yourself, cut off the top of the pumpkin and then cut it into quarters. Scoop out the seeds (rinse and lay them out on a baking sheet overnight to dry out if you want to make roasted pumpkin seeds with them!). Place the pumpkin on the prepared sheet pan and lightly coat in olive oil. Roast in the oven at 400°F for 35 to 37 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft if pierced with a knife.
3. Remove the pumpkin from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, remove the pumpkin from the skin. Discard the skin and place pumpkin in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
4. While pumpkin is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.
5. Over medium heat melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes, add flour and cook another minute. Make sure flour is well combined. Add milk and broth and whisk, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a light boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and season with salt, nutmeg and pepper.
6. Once it begins to thicken, stir in pumpkin and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheeses and mix well until melted. Add the cooked pasta and mix well.

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Orange Food Ideas

There are more out there, but here’s a list to get started!

• Pumpkin
• Oranges
• Sweet Potatoes
• Butternut Squash
• Apricots
• Cantaloupe
• Mango
• Peaches
• Carrots
• Orange Bell Peppers
• Papaya
• Persimmons
• Cheddar Cheese
• Nectarines

Want some great products that teach kids to learn to love veggies?
Check out our shop for kid-safe knives, interactive placements, and veggie-themed activity boxes!