Mac ‘n cheese is a big hit at our house. I love it as a side dish, main dish, or just snack. My all-time fave “baked” mac ‘n cheese is this Grown up Mac ‘n Cheese, with gruyere, blue cheese, and bacon. I had been looking for a simpler mac ‘n cheese recipe that I can quickly do on the stove-top for days that I just don’t have time to grate three different kind of cheeses and wait for it to bake in the oven. I had tried several recipes before deciding this one from Alton Brown that turned out to be a winner at my house. The cheese sauce has perfect consistency and very cheesy. Make sure that you love the type of cheese that is used in the recipe because it will taste like you’re biting into a slice of that cheese.
When I first tried this recipe, I used extra-sharp cheddar cheese, which ended up a bit strong for me. I kept on looking for more macaroni in the sauce. Mixing in pumpkin puree added a very nice flavor balance and toned down the sharpness of the extra-sharp cheddar & it adds a serving of vegetable as well, score right? 
Another cheese that I have tried on this recipe was Fontina, and it had just a perfect balance of cheese (without being too cheesy!). .. yum!
Slightly adapted from Alton Brown via Food Network
Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 cup of cooked pumpkin puree
Directions
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy. Add the cooked pumpkin puree. Serve warm.
Yield: 3-4 servings
Oh yum, I love this idea! I’m going to bookmark it for some day when my husband isn’t around. He’s not a pumpkin fan so I probably couldn’t talk him into trying it
Thanks for the visit and comment, Tracey. My hubby wasn’t a fan of the pumpkin addition on this one… oops!
This seems like a great “stealth” way to get my husband and daughter to eat pumpkin. I suspect you can hardly tell it is there…
Totally! The pumpkin added extra creaminess, and because its color is similar to sharp cheddar, it’s hard to tell that it’s even in it!
I love this twist on mac-n-cheese. Lately, I’ve been trying out new and unique mac-n-cheese recipes. As much as I love the classic, adding a new flavor shakes things up a bit and helps me get out of a cooking rut.
Look forward to trying this. Beautiful Pic.
Thanks Beth! I think the pumpkin variation is so appropriate for the season
Now if only my boyfriend liked mac & cheese… looks like I’ll be making this for myself!
lol Let me know how it turns out for you!
mmmm this looks and sounds delish! I just found this on TasteSpotting!
Thanks for the visit Katie, and the compliment.
Yummy! I recently heard about pumpkin mac and cheese… looks delicious!!!!
Thanks Stefanie!
Wow this looks really yummy and my kids will LOVE it! Adding pumpkin is great for additional nutrition and it’ll be my first time using evaporated milk for mac n cheese! Can’t wait to try this for lunch soon.
My daughter gobbled this up! I felt better about the cheese knowing that it’s mixed with the pumpkin
Let me know how your family enjoys it!
This looks fab as well as a lot of your other recipes. Every time I try to pin one of your recipes to pinterest though, it doesn’t work…? hmmm…o well – I will bookmark you instead!
Aaw, thanks Laura! I know that other people have pinned my recipes to pinterest, and it worked. But I don’t know enough about that to site to help you. Thanks for the comment, and visit again. It’s always wonderful to hear back from the readers!
Wow, that looks delish!!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Heather!