Mac & cheese doughnuts

Mac & Cheese Doughnuts

4
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
40 min
Serves
12
Difficulty
Moderate
Why use doughnuts pans here (besides the cuteness of it all)? Because you get portion control and plenty of sought-after crispy edges. Pumpkin adds a vegetable boost and a rich color. If you don’t have doughnut pans, use a muffin tin. Don’t rinse the pasta—the starch left on it is essential to help the sauce stick to the macaroni. For a little color, feel free to stir in some fresh chopped herbs, such as rosemary or sage, or simply sprinkle them on top.

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray

6 spray(s)

Uncooked pasta

2½ cup(s), elbow macaroni variety (about 10 oz)

Unsalted butter

1 Tbsp

All-purpose flour

2 Tbsp

Fat free skim milk

¾ cup(s)

Canned pumpkin puree

1 cup(s), puree

Reduced fat cheddar cheese

1 cup(s), shredded, sharp variety

Kosher salt

1 tsp

Garlic powder

½ tsp

Paprika

½ tsp

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 Tbsp, finely grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In large pot, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt if desired and reducing cooking time by 2 minutes so pasta is almost al dente. Drain pasta (do not rinse) and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Add pumpkin purée, cheddar, salt, garlic powder, and paprika and stir until mixture is well combined and cheddar is melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cooked pasta.
  3. Coat two 6-cup silicone or nonstick doughnut pans with nonstick spray. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano among cups, then divide macaroni among cups. Bake until tops are golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let doughnuts cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert donuts onto plate.
  4. Serving size: 1 doughnut