Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

[Bama]

Does this sound good to anyone besides me? I'm thinking about trying this tomorrow since someone is already bringing regular mac and cheese. I need to make more since we'll have around 25 for dinner, and MY kids both eat the heck out of mac and cheese. They both love pumpkin too. Is it too weird to try for company?

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

16 oz macaroni noodles
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
4 cups milk
16 oz grated cheese blend
¾ cup pumpkin puree (1/2 15-oz can)
1.5 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
In a heavy saucepot over medium high heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk together and cook for thirty seconds. Add 2 cups milk and minced rosemary and whisk until smooth. Add another cup of the milk (reserving one cup) and continue to whisk. Cook for four minutes while whisking. The mixture will get very thick!
Add 12 ounces of the grated mixed cheese (reserving about a handful of grated cheese) and stir well so that the cheese melts. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne followed by the additional cup of milk and the pumpkin puree.
Once everything is smooth, add the cooked macaroni and toss well. Pour into a 9″13″ casserole pan and top with the remaining grated cheese and the breadcrumbs.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

[sewhappyrtr]

I don't like pumpkin pie but I do like Mac and cheese.. So.. for me I wouldn't try this, but if you do tell us how well it was received !!

[sewingmom]

I think I would pass on most brand new dishes for company especially if they sound a little, hmm, different. I have been burned before by doing that.

[kaitlinnegan]

I rarely have a good experience when trying a new recipe, so I probably wouldn't try it the first time with company. It sounds like it might be pretty good though! It actually might not be different enough from regular mac and cheese, though, if someone else is bringing that.

[Bama]

DD insisted we try this, so she helped me make it. It was pretty good. Several people commented that they liked the spiciness of the shells and cheese. You couldn't really tell it had pumpkin in it. My kids and nephew loved it. Good thing, because I poured it into 2 smaller pans and froze one for later. I don't think it would have fit into the 9 by 13 inch pan the recipe called for, without filling it completely to the top.
I would probably make it again.

[LeapFrog Libby]

I love good mac and cheese and I love pumpkin so I saved it in a word doc and will be trying it sometime soon..