Cheesy Pumpkin Bake to Make Year Round
Pantry Recipe
Cheesy Pumpkin Bake to Make Year Round
This recipe is AMAZING! It’s rich and creamy and lives up to all your casserole dreams. It also freezes well for those times when you don’t even want to think about cooking (can’t be just me)?!
Make it now, your future self will thank you! Pro tip: if freezing cut slices so all you have to do is reheat in the oven, covered with foil.
NOTE: You can totally skip the process and dump in a can of coconut milk and a can of pumpkin and toss the breadcrumbs on top. I cooked this in one oven-proof pot that I also boiled the pasta in. It can really be that simple.
Are you a fan of canned tuna? Checkout these recipes that were featured in Well+Good.
Def let me know if you make it, tag me @chefcarlacontreras
Eat Well,
xo Chef Carla
PS: Get my book, Collagen A Love Story: Inside you'll find 20 Beauty Food Recipes: Smoothies, Drinks, Soup, and Sweet Treats Download your Free Copy
(Makes a giant casserole 6-10 servings)
Ingredients:
1 pound of dry pasta (any shape or gluten free works too!)
1 cup of oat milk or preferred milk*
2 tablespoons all purpose flour*
2 tbsp. butter (nondairy also works)*
1 can (14.5 oz.) canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. Miso paste*
1–2 drops of hot sauce, like Cholula, optional
1/16 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, optional
15 oz. fresh ricotta or vegan ricotta cheese like cashew ricotta it’s super easy to make (recipe coming soon)
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for the breadcrumbs
3–5 cranks of freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. preferred fat, like avocado oil to grease the baking pan
Panko Bread Topping
2 tbsp. melted butter (nondairy also works)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs, gluten free works too
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheight.
2. Cook the pasta according to the directions (cook one to two minutes less than the directions so, it’s al dente).
3. Place the pasta back in the pot once drained, leaving a little pasta water (1-2 Tbsp.)
4. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour, until it looks like wet sand and smells nutty (do not brown or burn). Separately heat the milk, until warm and then whisk into the melted butter and flour mixture. Note: if you want to skip this step, use a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk instead of the milk + flour + butter mixture.
5. Add the canned pumpkin, granulated garlic, hot sauce, nutmeg, and cheese into the pasta pot and stir. Add the mixture to a greased baking dish.
6. Melt the butter, add the panko breadcrumbs, season with 1/8 tsp of salt. Pour breadcrumb mixture, as evenly as you can, on top of the pasta in the baking dish.
7. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes and be careful not to burn the bread crumbs! You can always cover with foil, if you notice it is getting too brown. All ovens are different, this is not a set it and forget it project.
8. Store in the fridge up to three days. My favorite is to freeze this! Cut portions and place in a flat air tight container. You can line with parchment paper so they don’t stick.
9. To reheat from frozen, cook at 400 degrees Farenheight for 35-45 minutes until warm, make sure to cover with foil. Uncover for the last 10 minutes, add extra shredded cheese on top, if you want.
Chef Carla Notes:
- You can substitute 1 pound of cooked butternut squash, pumpkin, or kabocha squash, blend it until smooth, with the milk + butter + flour mixture or coconut milk, see below.
- Use a 13.5 oz can of coconut milk instead of the milk + butter + flour mixture.
- The miso paste can be a non-soy variety, you can also sub 1 tablespoon soy sauce, nutritional yeast, or coco aminos.
- For freezing, I suggest cutting the casserole into slices, first. Then freeze.
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