Pumpkin mac and cheese

Yup, I know it sounds weird, but guess what? If you have finicky eaters like I do at my house, this is the perfect dish for you, or if you just want to eat healthier.  I love pumpkin anyway, and I dont always want pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread, here is a great recipe if you want something savory and different for a change of pace:

The recipe calls for you to mix all this together and then bake it, I didnt, and it worked great, just do it stove top, which is great if you want a good comfort food during the warmer months and you dont want to turn on your oven.

Ingredients:
1 box of your favourite pasta, penne and  or shells work great with this
1/4 c margarine (melted)
1/4 c flour
1 cup any kind of milk
1 cup chicken, beef or veggie bouillion
1-29oz can of pumpkin (or less depending on your taste)
1.5 cups shredded cheese
2 tbsp green chili pepper (canned or fresh)
1large onion chopped
3 chicken or beef fully cooked sausages chopped (if you dont have sausage you can use hot dogs, ground turkey or whatever your favourite kind of meat is)
nutmeg, garlic, ground black pepper, oregano and bail to taste

If you are planning to bake this off at the end, preheat your oven to 37 degrees F. and lightly butter a baking dish11"x13". or  single ramekins. 

Instructions:
Cook pasta till al dente...almost to the point of being done, but not quite. While your pasta is cooking, you can be sauteeing up your onion in the melted margarine till they are semi transparent.  As soon as they start to brown, add the flour and whisk until you have a nice thick roux.  Slowly whisk in the milk to form a creamy sauce, if it is too thick, start whisking in the chicken stock till you have the desired consistency to your liking...

Continue whisking as you add the pumpkin and cheese, now is the time to add your spices/herbs and add in your meat and chili peppers.  Drain your pasta and mix the sauce thru the pasta, coating it evenly.  
It is at this point that I serve my version, but if you want to take it one step further, you can dump the pasta and sauce into your baking dish at this point, add a little more shredded cheese on top and to guild the lilly so to speak, you can also add crushed ritz crackers or seasoned bread crumbs over the top and then bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top.  Serve hot.

Side note:  If you are expecting to taste the pumpkin, you will be disappointed.  You cannot taste the pumpkin in this dish, but it does lend a richness and a slight sweetness to this dish and it will have your guests wondering what that secret ingredient is.