Pumpkin Beer & Pretzel Mac and Cheese

This macaroni and cheese starts out with a pumpkin beer-flavored roux, laced with three different kinds of cheeses and topped with crunchy pretzels. It’s seriously a comfort food masterpiece.

Course: Salads and Sides, Soups

Keyword: Cheese, Fall, Side dishes

Skill: intermediate

Servings:

Calories: 962kcal

Ingredients

1 lb macaroni pasta
.25 cups unsalted butter
.25 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 cups light pumpkin beer
2 cups Fontina cheese, shredded
1 cups Gouda cheese, shredded
1 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded + more for topping
.5 tsp salt
.25 tsp black pepper
.25 tsp cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cups pretzels

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Spray a Staub Dutch oven with non-stick spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop pasta in and boil for 7 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
In a large sauté pan melt ¼ cup of unsalted butter on medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and cook for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add in minced garlic and whisk once more to avoid burning. Add milk and beer to butter flour mixture and turn heat up to medium high. Whisk mixture occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until boiling, and until the sauce has thickened.
Remove mixture from heat and whisk in cheeses to mixture until melted. Stir in cayenne, nutmeg and salt & pepper. Stir in mixture to macaroni noodles and transfer to sprayed Dutch oven.
Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and bake until melt-y on top.
Sprinkle pretzels on top just before serving.

Nutrition