Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the ULTIMATE comfort food for Fall. It’s like autumn in a casserole dish! This baked mac and cheese with bacon is loaded with cheese, pumpkin, sage, bacon, and more cheese. It’s one of the best macaroni and cheese recipes ever!
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is the answer to all your fall dreams! Baked mac and cheese with bacon and pumpkin…so delicious, you won’t want to stop eating this!
FALL IS HERE! And I want pumpkin in everything: pumpkin brownies, pumpkin soup, even Pumpkin Mac and Cheese!
To celebrate my favorite time of year, I made this AMAZING Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Pumpkin! Don’t be scared of the pumpkin, this doesn’t taste like dessert. I think most people associate it with sweeter treats, but it’s super savory and total perfection. It even won over Pat, which is not an easy feat (he was skeptical to say the least when I asked him to open the pumpkin and dump it in).
The end result is an ultra creamy mac and cheese full of all the flavors of fall. Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese is like Autumn in a casserole dish!
Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese Ingredients
This Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Bacon wouldn’t be as creamy and dreamy without MILK! I’ve partnered with REAL® Seal to encourage cooking with dairy and getting the word out about all its many nutritional benefits. Milk is such a great source of calcium, potassium, and vitamin D, not to mention protein and tons of other vitamins. Real® Seal makes it easy to identify products made from US-only cows milk. Can’t be replicated!
My favorite milk brand is Friendly Farms, found at Aldi. It’s Real® Seal and Hardin family approved! Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought this Fall themed twist on a classic would be right up everyone’s alleys. Serve up a big dish of this baked mac and cheese, get your costume on, and enjoy this nice weather!
What else is in this Pumpkin Mac and Cheese?
- Bacon
- Macaroni Noodles
- Milk
- Fontina Cheese
- Pumpkin
- Bread Crumbs
- Parmesan Cheese
- Heavy Cream
- Sage
- Butter
And of course a few other simple things to finish off the recipe and make this the tastiest macaroni and cheese recipe ever!
Find more delicious and easy Pumpkin Recipes to make this fall season!
Baked Mac and Cheese with Bacon
I LOVE macaroni and cheese. It’s a total classic that really can’t be beat. There are the simple, quick recipes for macaroni and cheese, and then there are the more creative and fun mac and cheese recipes. There is a time and place for all of them, and the time for pumpkin mac and cheese is now! This baked mac and cheese with bacon is just too good. I want to serve it every night, but I’ll try to resist from overdoing it.
How to Make Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
This isn’t a 15 minute recipe for macaroni and cheese, but 30-40 minutes ain’t so bad either. And it’s worth the extra time to cook in all that flavor! Pumpkin, bacon, bread crumbs, and loooots of cheese all baked together in a casserole dish. I love how cheesy and creamy this recipe turns out, and the pumpkin and bacon add so much savoriness to it.
You won’t believe how much creaminess the pumpkin adds to this family favorite. Just the right touch of something extra to take a recipe from great to amazing. You guys know I love my cheese, but now I love pumpkin and cheese together thanks to this baked mac and cheese with bacon.
Be sure to follow along with Real® Seal via Pinterest, Facebook, and their website for more info and recipes!
See the recipe card below for details on how to make Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. Enjoy!
If you like this bacon mac and cheese recipe, try some more fave macaroni and cheese recipes:
- King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Baked Mexican Mac and Cheese
- White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese recipe
- Loaded Chili Macaroni and Cheese
- Easy Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Lobster Mac and Cheese
- Pesto Mac and Cheese
Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Bacon
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 4 cups elbow macaroni cooked according to package instructions
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups 2% Milk I love Friendly Farms Brand
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped. (plus more for garnish)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Place bacon on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until very crispy. Allow to drain on a paper towel and then crumble into small pieces. Set aside.
- When done with the bacon, switch the oven to 350F.
- In a medium/large saucepan heat the butter over medium heat. Once fully melted, add the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir (constantly) to combine.
- Pour in the milk and cream slowly, whisking constantly while you add. Allow to thicken, continuing to stir, until bubbly.
- Add in the cheese one cup at a time, stirring to melt before adding the second cup. Stir in the pumpkin and sage.
- Remove from the heat and pour over the cooked pasta, stirring to combine. Stir in the bacon crumbles, reserving some for garnish if desired.
- In a separate small bowl, combine panko, parmesan, and olive oil.
- Pour the macaroni into a large baking dish, pressing down slightly with your spoon to make the top level.
- Pour the panko mixture over the noodles, covering the entire top. Sprinkle with extra sage if desired.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until everything is hot and bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden and toasted.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with extra bacon if you're feeling sassy.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Maybe a little heavy on the salt and the pepper, but the general flavour is good.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Why is there no video for this recipe on the page? There is a LINK, but when I click on it, there is no video. Can you send me the link?
Thank you
Sometimes if the page hasn’t fully loaded you’ll have to click the video button twice! Sorry about that!
I’m no cook but I made this for Bunco night and all my incredibly talented foodie friends raved about it.
That’s awesome!! I’m happy I could help!
Delicious, but a little too much pepper for my taste – I’ll definitely make it again,just less pepper! My family loved it!
So glad you liked it!!!
I am very ready for the fall weather to move in. We are still getting into the high 70s and low 80s almost daily and I live in Colorado! Crazy weather! Love this mac and cheese with the pumpkin and it looks so deliciously creamy!
I AGREE!!!! Thanks Malinda :)
This is what dreams are made of.
Thanks Cathy!
Is there a way to make this in a slow cooker? Just thinking it would be a fabulous dish for potlucks and such, but soo much easier if it could be kept warm… just curious. :)
Love this Mac and Chesse combo! i cannot wait to try it!
Thanks girl!
This dish is screaming fall and comfort! Love the addition of pumpkin! Yummy!! :D
Thank you so much Jen!
I’m loving the addition of the pumpkin. Mac and cheese… so versatile!
Thanks girl!
This looks like the ULTIMATE Fall comfort food!!
Thanks so much Amanda!