Pumpkin Mac

Next up - Pumpkin Mac n Cheese from a new blog I've become obsessed with called (never home) maker. I recommend checking it out!

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup macaroni
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup pureed garbanzo beans
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to directions on package.
- Puree the garbanzo beans. Add beans and a few tbsp of water to a food processor (or magic bullet, which I used) and pulse until smooth.
- While the pasta cooks, spray the inside of a large sauce-pot with cooking spray. Pour in the olive oil and cook over medium heat. Then stir in the flour and keep stirring until the mixture is thick, but not browned (about 1 minute).
- Add the milk and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, until thick.
- Add the pumpkin puree, cheese, pureed garbanzo beans, paprika, and pepper. Stir until everything is melted.
- Drain the pasta and add to the cheese mixture. Stir for a minute or two, then turn off the heat and serve.

Do you even have to ask? This was awesome!! I've found all these interesting recipes that use pumpkin and though it's normally such a Fall ingredient, recently I've been craving it. This was quite a success! I think I got about six 1/2 cup servings out of this, making it 6 PointsPlus/serving. Not too bad, though a 1/2 cup is not very much!