Comforting Main

Jamie Oliver's pumpkin mac 'n' cheese

Name: Pumpkin mac 'n' cheese Jamie Oliver
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1 butternut pumpkin (1.2kg); Olive oil; 2 onions; 4 cloves of garlic; 50g unsalted butter; 50g mature Cheddar cheese; 50g fontina cheese; 70g Parmesan cheese; 100g plain flour; 1.2 litres semi-skimmed milk; 1 whole nutmeg, for grating; 500g dried macaroni; 50g higher welfare smoked streaky bacon; 150g stale sourdough bread; 1/2 a bunch of fresh thyme (15g); 100g vac-packed chestnuts

2 ratings

20m

1h 50m

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by Jamie Oliver

Food legend, influencer, activist, Naked Chef, delicious. contributor

May 01, 2018

This really is an indulgence, but it’s ideal for when you need a bit of comfort – and the pumpkin and chestnut topping takes it to another level. The beauty of this dish is that you can use whatever cheese you like; instead of fontina, you could either double up on the Cheddar or swap in Gruyère, smoked cheese, or even Stilton. Serve with a fresh, leafy autumnal salad to balance things out, says Jamie.

1 butternut pumpkin (1.2kg)
Olive oil
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
50g unsalted butter
50g mature Cheddar cheese
50g fontina cheese
70g Parmesan cheese
100g plain flour
1.2 litres semi-skimmed milk
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
500g dried macaroni
50g higher welfare smoked streaky bacon
150g stale sourdough bread
1/2 a bunch of fresh thyme (15g)
100g vac-packed chestnuts

Method

1.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
2.

Trim and peel the pumpkin, halve lengthways, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Chop into rough 2cm chunks and place on a large baking tray.
3.

Drizzle the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes or until golden and caramelised.
4.

Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Melt the butter in a large, deep pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until soft and golden. Finely grate all of the cheese.
5.

Reduce the heat to low and stir the flour into the onions and garlic. Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
6.

Add two-thirds of the cheese to the pan, stir until melted, then grate in a little nutmeg and season to perfection with salt and pepper. Simmer very gently for a further 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
7.

Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than suggested on the packet instructions (it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain, reserving a mugful of the cooking water.
8.

Finely slice the bacon. Drizzle 1/2 a tablespoon of oil into a frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy.
9.

Tear the sourdough into a food processor, strip in the thyme leaves, add half the chestnuts and all of the bacon. Blitz to fine crumbs.
10.

Smash the cooked pumpkin up in the tray using a fork or spoon, so that you have different-sized chunks and some bits of pulp, creating lots of lovely textures. Spoon into the cheese sauce and stir well.
11.

Fold the cooked pasta through the sauce, then tip into a 30cm x 40cm baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs, crumble over the rest of the chestnuts and drizzle with a little oil.
12.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Delicious with a seasonal green salad or steamed greens.