Gluten-free · 30 min
Brown Butter Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
- 30 min
- 2–6 servings
- 702 kcal / serving
Creamy pumpkin mac and cheese with browned butter and thyme, coating tender elbow pasta in a silky sauce. It's comforting, quick to pull together, and satisfying for weeknight dinners.
Free on iPhone · servings scaled, grocery list written for you.
Ingredients
- ½ (8 oz) blockcheddar cheese
- ½ small pkgfresh thyme
- 6 ozmacaroni (elbow) pasta
- ½ (15 oz) canpure pumpkin purée
- 5 fl ozwhole milk
From the pantry: all-purpose flour, black pepper, butter, unsalted, salt
Cookware
can opener · colander · grater · measuring cups · measuring spoons · medium saucepan · stirring spoon · whisk or fork
Kitchen help: cups to grams · tablespoons to cups · oven temperatures · butter conversions · what each cooking tool is for · ingredient substitutes
More dinner ideas: easy dinners
Shopping list by aisle
Produce
- ½ small pkgfresh thyme
Dairy, eggs & chilled
- ½ (8 oz) blockcheddar cheese
- 5 fl ozwhole milk
Pantry & dry goods
- 6 ozmacaroni (elbow) pasta
- ½ (15 oz) canpure pumpkin purée
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Ingredients for 2, 4 and 6 servings
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 4 servings | 6 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| cheddar cheese | ½ (8 oz) block | 1 (8 oz) block | 1 ½ (8 oz) blocks |
| fresh thyme | ½ small pkg | ½ small pkg | 1 small pkg |
| macaroni (elbow) pasta | 6 oz | 12 oz | 18 oz |
| pure pumpkin purée | ½ (15 oz) can | ½ (15 oz) can | 1 (15 oz) can |
| whole milk | 5 fl oz | 10 fl oz | 15 fl oz |
Quantities in US units. Any other household size: MealPot scales the recipe and the grocery list for you.
Directions
- Boil salted water and cook the macaroni until al dente, then drain.
- In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until it browns, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add a small amount of flour to the browned butter and whisk for 1 minute to form a light roux.
- Gradually whisk in the milk, bring to a simmer, and cook 1 minute until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Strip thyme leaves from the stems and set aside the leaves.
- Stir pumpkin, salt, pepper, and most of the thyme into the sauce, then add the grated cheese and melt, stirring occasionally.
- Toss the drained macaroni with the cheese sauce until evenly coated and divide onto plates. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme to finish.
Two tips
- Make the browned butter ahead and keep it warm for a quicker finish.
- refrigerate any leftovers; reheat with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 702 kcal
- Protein
- 29 g
- Carbs
- 81 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 412 mg
Estimates from the recipe's published nutrition data; they change with the version you pick above.
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Ingredient quantities, timing and nutrition follow the original Mealime recipe ↗ (captured 2026-09-12). The photo is MealPot's AI-rendered illustration of the finished dish; the description, directions, aisle list and serving table are MealPot's.