Pumpkin Pasta With Cheddar Food

PUMPKIN PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Heat the pumpkin puree, chicken broth, milk, margarine, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger in a large skillet over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained pasta, and toss with the Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.
• Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.
• Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.
• Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread and Spinach Salad with Apple and Red Onion.
• Place spinach, apple, and onion in a salad bowl. Place oil, vinegar, mustard and honey in a small plastic container and fit lid on container. Shake dressing to combine, 1 minute. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

SPINACH BACON PUMPKIN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Spray a 2-quart baking dish or 9x9 inch or 11x7 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, or grease with olive oil or butter.
• Boil the noodles until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and place in a large bowl.
• Cook your bacon: Add bacon to a large skillet or pan and place over medium heat, cook bacon on both sides until crispy and golden brown. If the pan starts to smoke at any point, simply lower the heat. I always cook my bacon on medium low heat. Once bacon is done, blot with a paper towel to absorb excess grease, then chop into bite sized pieces and transfer to the large bowl with the noodles
• Drain the grease from the bacon pan, then place the same pan over low heat and cook your spinach: add spinach to pan and cook until spinach wilts, the spinach will absorb any of the small amount of grease remaining on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to the large bowl with the noodles and bacon.
• In the same pan, add in 2 tablespoons of butter and place over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in a little bit of the flour and then slowly add in milk, a little bit at a time, alternating with the flour and vigorously whisking away any lumps. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and stir every so often, until the sauce thickens up.
• Once the sauce has thickened up a bit, turn off the heat and stir in garlic powder, parmesan and cheddar cheese. salt and LOTS of freshly ground black pepper. Finally stir in the pumpkin puree.
• Add the pumpkin cheese sauce to the bowl with the pasta, bacon and spinach. Season again with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir well to combine, then pour mixture into your prepared baking pan and spread out. Top with remaining ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese if you like extra cheesiness!
• In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top of casserole and bake for 25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serves 6.

CHEESY BAKED PUMPKIN PASTA WITH PANCETTA, KALE, AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the pancetta until it's crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or rack to cool and discard all but approximately 2 tsp rendered fat.
• To the same pan, add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes for the last minute and toast for just 20 to 30 seconds, before the garlic scorches.
• Add 2 Tbsp water to de-glaze the pan, scrape up any browned bits, and remove from the heat.
• While the onion cooks, fill a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil.
• Preheat the oven to 450F and grease a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
• Add the kale to the boiling water and cook for just 2 minutes or so, until it's bright green and tender but not soft. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a colander.
• To the same pot, add the pasta and cook it a minute or two short of package instructions; it should be just shy of al dente.
• Reserve ¾ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta in the colander with the kale.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the canned pumpkin with 1 cup shredded Gruyère or Cheddar. Season generously with black pepper.
• Whisk ½ cup pasta water into the pumpkin mix. It should be about the consistency of bechamel, thin enough to coat the pasta but not watery; if needed, add a bit more water.
• Fold in the pasta, kale, onions, pancetta and beans and stir well to coat.
• Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese over the top; finish with the breadcrumbs and spray with a bit of cooking spray to increase browning..
• Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden. For deeper browning, place 3 to 4 inches beneath your broiler and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.

PUMPKIN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until the mixture is smooth and golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half, Dijon, cayenne, nutmeg, garlic powder and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil and thicken enough to hold a trail by the whisk, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the pumpkin puree and grated Cheddar until the cheese just melts. Stir in the pasta, adding enough of the reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce.
• If your broiler is in the top of the oven, move the oven rack to the center. Preheat the broiler.
• Transfer the mac and cheese to the baking dish, top with the Cheddar slices and broil until the cheese is melted and the top browns in places, 8 to 9 minutes.

PUMPKIN PASTA WITH CHEDDAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Heat oil in a large skillet; cook and stir onion and garlic until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add zucchini, sage, and thyme; cook and stir until zucchini is slightly tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir pumpkin, ricotta cheese, and white wine into zucchini mixture.
• Pour pumpkin mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth.
• Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over pasta and stir in pumpkin sauce. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 25 minutes.