EASY Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with sautéed apples, swiss chard, bacon and cheddar cheese. Delicious and ready in under 30 minutes!
Mac and cheese lovers!!!! This one is for you!
This mac and cheese is not only filling and delicious, but it uses some of my favorite seasonal fruits and veggies!
So, I’ll be honest here .. my oldest child does not like mac and cheese. She never did and I’m not sure if she ever will. I, on the other hand, have mac and cheese flowing through my veins. I love the stuff and the cheesier, the better. My youngest, for the longest time, said she didn’t like it either because she was following her big sister .. but recently she spilled the beans and told me how much she LOVES mac and cheese, which she gobbles up at school. So, now, I secretly make Annie’s mac and cheese for Madeline.
Yes, Annie’s is her fave, (“the one with the bunny!”) along with the cheddar bunnies, fruit snacks, granola bars, pretzels, and did you know they now make chocolate chip cookies and all kinds of cookies?!
This is the fastest mac and cheese ever. And, since it’s fall, and I’m celebrating pumpkin and everything fall inspired and seasonal, I had to throw pumpkin, sautéed apples and some swiss chard in there.
And the bacon too. Can’t forget the crispy bacon bits. I love how the salty bacon compliments the slight sweetness from the pumpkin and apples.
This mac and cheese is crazy good you guys.
And this isn’t even just for the kids. This is for everyone!!! So, grab some Annie’s mac and cheese and get it going!
Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 box Annie's Shells and Real Aged Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 apple peeled and diced
- 2 to 3 cups swiss chard (one bunch) leaves only, chopped
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons milk + more if needed
- cooked crispy bacon bits for garnish
Instructions
- Using a medium sized saucepan, bring water to a boil and cook the shell pasta for about 8 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Using the same pan, heat the butter over medium high heat and sauté the apples for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the chopped swiss chard and cook until softened, for about 2 to 3 minutes and remove the apples and chard from the pan onto a clean plate.
- Using the same saucepan, add the cooked pasta, pumpkin, cheddar packet from Annie's box, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and the milk. Mix together until blended and all the cheese has melted and is incorporated, over medium high heat. Add the sautéed apples and cooked chard into the pan and mix together again. Let cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and garnish with the cooked, crispy bacon bits and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I am simply supporting a brand that we love and use and helping to promote Annie’s Mix-In Mondays.
