Pumpkin Mac and Cheese With Maple Caramelized Onions

It’s the time of year when eating pumpkin mac and cheese wrapped in a blanket watching you’re favorite T.V shows is totally acceptable.  And that’s exactly what I did last night.  With autumn comes gray skies and cooler weather in Seattle, which I love. However, after 5 months of it, it can get a little old.

Anyways, before I go off on a tangent, let me tell you why this mac and cheese is the bee’s knees.  It’s creamy, rich, earthy and spicy. SO FREAKING GOOD! And then when you add in the maple caramelized onions, wow! Takes it over the top. Enjoy!

PS-This week is pumpkin week on the blog. Get ready for pumpkin madness!

Serves 1 cup servings of 6

Ingredients

• 1 whole onion sliced
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 LB of elbow pasta
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups of any cheese you like ( I used sharp cheddar)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (divided)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup of panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• Cooking spray

Directions:

You can check out this link here to show you how to make caramelized onions. At the last few seconds of cooking, you are going to add the maple syrup and the balsamic vinegar. Set aside. Pour half the box of the elbow pasta into a pot of boiling water and cook until al dente. About 8 minutes. Rinse and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish

Heat cream and pumpkin in a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium heat until thickened. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the cheese until completely melted. Add in the 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Add pasta into the cheese mixture and fold in the caramelized onions.  Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish. Sprinkle panko, parmesan and the rest of the pumpkin pie spice on top. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bread crumbs have browned.