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Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

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The best form of macaroni and cheese you can imagine is in front of you. It’s quick, easy, and so much better than the box kind. It will get you pumped for all things pumpkin. 

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

 

I love pumpkins!

I love pumpkins because they remind me of fall and adorable fall porch decor that I stalk on Pinterest and then never feel like my porch has that same cutesy fall thing goin on.

I love pumpkin muffins because they are seriously the one thing you should consider making this fall if you are only up to making one pumpkin related anything.

I also love pumpkin because it is high in Vitamin A. One half cup serving of canned pumpkin puree contains 250% of the recommended dietary allowance for Vitamin A, while containing only 50 calories per serving. That’s pretty sweet in my world. No need to worry about eating your carrots today.

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

This pumpkin and mac and cheese combo may not be one that jumps right at you but you HAVE TO BELIEVE ME when I say it is hands down amazing.

To be honest, I am not one that would ever want to make mac and cheese for anyone other than my kids who ask for it on an hourly basis. And yet, I was very set on making a mac and cheese recipe with pumpkin in it for this fall when it’s cold out and we are in need of a 20-minute meal or else it’s sandwiches type of thing.

I am happy to say that I now have my own excitement about macaroni and cheese…the homemade pumpkin kind!

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

I have a few ideas regarding how to serve this bowl of deliciousness:

  1. It’s quite filling so pair it with a salad, which will also help you to balance out the amount of mac and cheese you eat.
  2. Fry up some bacon, chop it up and add it right to your bowl of mac and cheese and you are good to go!
  3. Roast some veggies to serve on the side-keep thinking about balance here. You want to enjoy it but not regret eating it if you serve it with something else like ham or meatloaf which seem to be most common.

I personally love it with some whole wheat bread crumbs on top and a bit of parmesan!! Nothing else needed in my opinion.

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

 

Hope you guys enjoy this! Be sure to let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!!

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Megan
The best form of macaroni and cheese you can imagine is in front of you. It's quick, easy, and so much better than the box kind.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Pasta
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb elbow macaroni pasta
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-fat milk
  • 2 cups mild cheddar cheese shredded (for best results, don't use bagged kind already shredded)
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Optional toppings: Whole wheat bread crumbs parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, bring salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt butter over medium low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in flour until mixed in and thickens. Slowly add milk, whisking continuously while doing so. Break up any clumps that form and work them into the sauce.
  • Once sauce is smooth, add cheddar cheese and pumpkin to milk and butter mixture. Increase heat to medium and continue using whisk until cheese is melted completely.
  • Pour cheese sauce over pasta and mix until pasta is evenly coated with cheese.
  • Serve with a sprinkle of whole wheat bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on top.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Trial and Eater

 


Best Cheesy Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

 

More Delicious Fall Recipes

Fancy Fall Pumpkin Muffins

fancy fall pumpkin muffins

 

Pumpkin Linguine with Kale

Pumpkin Linguine with Kale & Walnuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

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Oven baked round steak is the perfect comfort food for this fall. The fifteen minutes of prep is even more comforting during this busy time of year!

Best Oven Baked Round Stead

 

Fall is coming.

The temps have been in the 90s the last several days and yet here I am making all sorts of fall recipes to welcome the cooler temps. I think we have a few more days of the summer weather around here so I will endure it.

Currently we are balancing three nights of soccer a week with dance and days for the boys to ride their dirt bikes….. and a blessed day of let’s do nothing at all because mommy says so. Do you guys feel overwhelmed with activities and sports and all that good stuff right now?!? I’m sure it gets more hectic than this.

I think part of the reason I love cooking so much is because it’s the only time I can really make everyone sit down and just chill for a good oh 15-30 minutes depending on the day.

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

 

This steak recipe is probably one of my favorite ways to eat steak. I’m not much of a grilled steak kinda girl. I do love filets, especially this filet oscar even if it’s a super old post with poor quality pictures.

However, I love this baked steak recipe every time. The flavor of this steak with the stewed tomatoes and chopped celery and carrots is hands down incredible.

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

 

Is anyone else excited about October getting here as much as I am?!!! 

Why I love October:

  1. I really love pumpkin patches right now with my kids being 4, 5, and 6. They love it so much. I love it. I will go every weekend if I can talk my husband into it.
  2. I’m over my summer clothes. Yes I love summer A LOT! But, I am ready for some milder weather and I especially don’t like sweating all day at the pumpkin patches because I plan for cool weather and Mother Nature decides to let it reach 80 degrees. Haha.
  3. I’m ready to make a bunch of soup recipes and I feel bad feeding them to the fam when it’s 85+ degrees out so cooler weather you better be coming in October.

 

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

 

My mom would make this recipe occasionally as we were growing up and we loved it! I hope you guys love it just as much!

 

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

 

Best Oven Baked Round Stead

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

Megan
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Dinner, Steak
Servings 4 -5

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 round steaks 3/4" thick
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup sliced carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Pound into cuts of meat on both sides. Do not discard remaining flour.
  • Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Sear meat 30 seconds-1minute per side. Transfer meat to a shallow baking dish.
  • Add remaining flour to skillet with meat drippings and stir with a wooden spoon. Add stewed tomatoes, celery, carrots, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce to skillet and combine. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
  • Pour over meat. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 2 hours.
  • Top with cheddar cheese and return to oven for 2 minutes.

 

Best Oven Baked Round Steak

 

More Delicious Dinner Ideas

 

Best Ever Ratatouille with Quinoa & Baked Cod

Best Ever Ratatouille with Quinoa and Baked Cod

 

Healthyish Rigatoni with Sausage & Fennel

Healthyish Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel

 

Best Ever Balsamic Cherry Rhubarb Chicken

Best Ever Balsamic Cherry Rhubarb Chicken

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

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Easy beef and bean quesadillas with roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, and cheddar cheese topped with avocado sauce. 

Easy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

 

I am all about an easy peasy meal (and healthy-ish of course!) whenever possible. Yet I think everyone has a different understanding of the word “easy” when it comes to meals. Like does easy mean it’s ready waiting in the crockpot? Or it takes less than 10 ingredients? Or it only requires dirtying one pan or pot? What exactly qualifies as being easy?

Well I have come up with a few ideas and you may or may not agree but this is what I got:

  1. A recipe with 5 parts or less. Examples of one part of a recipe includes boiling water and cooking pasta until al dente, cooking meat, roasting vegetables, and/or making a sauce.
  2. An ingredient list that is not obnoxiously long. Ten ingredients is a reasonable number so somewhere close around there is good. I’m sorry but when I see easy and then a recipe has 25 ingredients I just chuckle. I should probably go back through all my recipes with the word easy in the title now!!
  3. The cooking methods most common for people include frying, baking, simmering, boiling, and roasting. Whatever method you use, the instructions need to be in great detail so whatever method is used, the recipe becomes easy because of the well written instructions.

That’s my short and sweet list of what makes a recipe easy. Call me crazy but easy means different things for different people so that’s I mean when I say a recipe is easy!!

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

 

Yes, this recipe is for quesadillas. No, that does not mean that’s the only way it can be eaten! We love eating these leftovers without tortillas and adding extra avocado sauce because well, why not?

This is just a recipe and not a hard fast rule, so get creative and use it as you may. Sometimes, the best meals are made of things you just throw together. Agree?

Like I wasn’t planning on putting sweet potatoes in these quesadillas but I had an extra one in the pantry and was like let’s try this. And I love it in these beef and bean quesadillas.

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

 

Whatever changes you make to these is cool, but just don’t and I mean DON’T (yes I’m yelling this) LEAVE OUT THE AVOCADO SAUCE. It will rock your world.

 

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

 

Easy Beef Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

Megan
Easy beef and bean quesadillas with roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, and cheddar cheese topped with avocado sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dinner, Quesadillas
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients
  

Roasted Sweet Potato

  • 1 medium sweet potato peeled and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Ground Beef

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 cup black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Avocado Sauce

  • 1 avocado peeled and pitted
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Quesadillas

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 '' flour tortillas
  • 1 avocado peeled, pitted, and cubed
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions
 

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • Preheat oven to 425℉. Arrange chopped sweet potato on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over sweet potato. Season with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Toss around to mix the seasonings together and then arrange into one even layer again. Roast for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Ground Beef

  • Meanwhile cook ground beef in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat breaking it up into small pieces. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until cooked through and no pink is visible. Add black beans, cumin, oregano, and salt and stir in. Transfer to a bowl and keep near the stove. Wash and dry skillet to use for quesadillas.

Avocado Sauce

  • In a medium bowl, mash avocado with a fork. Add plain yogurt, lime, juice, and salt and mix well. Store in fridge until ready to use.

Quesadillas

  • Arrange an assembly line of tortillas, the beef and bean mixture, roasted sweet potatoes, cubed avocado, and cheddar cheese. Add a scoop of the cooked ground beef and bean mixture to one half of the tortilla, followed by a little of the roasted sweet potato, a few pieces of cubed avocado, and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Fold over the empty half of the tortilla over the filled half. Repeat for remaining quesadillas.
  • Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook quesadilla 1-2 minutes per side, reducing heat to medium low if necessary. The skillet seems to get hot quickly after the first quesadilla is cooked. Remove from heat and cut down the middle and serve. Top with avocado sauce and a squeeze of lime if desired.

 

 

 

Easy Beef and Bean Quesadillas with Avocado Sauce

 

If you give this recipe a go, let me know!! Snap a pic and tell me how it went on Pinterest! Thanks so much!!

 

More Great Mexican Recipes

 

Best Healthy Chicken Burritos

Best Healthy Chicken Burritos (Makes 12)

 

Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Lime Crema

stuffed poblano peppers with lime crema

 

Healthy Chicken Enchilada Pot

Healthy Chicken Enchilada Pot