Baked Cheesy Pumpkin Ziti

Cheesey Pumpkin Ziti…like mac and cheese, but better. This baked pasta is smothered in a creamy pumpkin cheese sauce, covered with fresh mozzarella and baked to perfection. It is the perfect fall entrée that screams comfort food. Try it out for a fall themed dinner with friends or a cozy night on the couch. You won’t be disappointed.

What you need:

⁃ 1 package of Ziti or tube shaped pasta (we used rigatoni because that’s our favorite)

⁃ 1/2 can pumpkin purée

⁃ 1/2 white onion, diced

⁃ 2 cloves garlic, minced

⁃ Smoked Gouda cheese

⁃ Sharp cheddar cheese

⁃ Parmesan

⁃ Mozzarella

⁃ Flour

⁃ Butter

⁃ Milk

⁃ Salt, Pepper

This dish goes great with my favorite kale salad and the pumpkin spice ginger mules I posted last week.

How to make it:

1. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to a deep pan over medium heat.

2. Add onions and garlic to melted butter and cook until translucent.

3. Add pumpkin purée and season with salt and pepper.

4. Remove mixture and set to the side.

5. While you keep making the sauce, bring water to boil and undercook the pasta by 5 minutes according to instructions. The noodles will keep cooking in the sauce when you bake it.

6. Without cleaning the pan you cooked the pumpkin in, add 3 tablespoons of butter and melt down. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour and mix together to make a roux for bechamel sauce.

7. Whisk in milk and keep stirring till mixture thickens.

8. Slowly stir in handfuls of the shredded cheese until all combined. You will have a thick fondue-like sauce.

9. Mix in about half of the pumpkin purée onion mixture into the cheese sauce and taste. If you want just a hint you’ll be good with this amount, if you want a stronger pumpkin flavor add more.

10. Pour undercooked pasta into the pumpkin cheese sauce and combine thoroughly.

11. Transfer pasta into a baking dish and cover with mozzarella and Parmesan.

12. Cook until cheese bubbles and the edges are  golden. About 20 minutes at 350 F.

13. Dig in and enjoy! We served this with my favorite kale salad and the pumpkin ginger mules for a a perfect fall dinner!

If you would rather not bake the pasta, you can fully cook the noodles and combine with the sauce then enjoy straight away. Also, if you want to prep this the day before or in the morning before you plan to serve it that totally works. Just splash some milk over the cheese before putting in the oven, since the noodles soak up the sauce the longer they sit.