Baked Macaroni is a cozy Filipino-style pasta casserole loaded with a hearty meat sauce and a creamy béchamel topping, all smothered under melted cheese. It's an easy and delicious dish that's perfect for a big gathering!
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What is Baked Macaroni?
Baked macaroni is a super cozy casserole dish that's all about comfort. It's packed with elbow macaroni and a meat sauce that might include red hotdogs, much like a traditional Filipino spaghetti sauce.
The pasta dish gets smothered in a creamy cheese sauce, made with béchamel and plenty of cheese to create a mornay sauce. This classic baked macaroni recipe is baked until it's golden brown and bubbling with cheesy goodness.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Elbows or macaroni: These are short, hollow tubes with a curved shape that help trap the sauce. You can also use pasta shapes with cavities, grooves, or ridges to which the sauce can easily adhere, such as shells, fusilli, or penne.
- Ground meat: I usually go for ground beef, but you can also use pork, chicken, veal, or a blend for an even better flavor and texture.
- Crushed tomatoes: They have a fresh flavor and slightly chunky texture. You can also crush whole peeled tomatoes to your desired consistency, or use tomato sauce in a pinch.
- Tomato paste: This is super concentrated and packed with a deep tomato flavor. I use it along with crushed tomatoes to add richness and intensity to the dish.
- Cheese: I'm using both cheddar and mozzarella cheese. You can also use Quick-melt cheese, a Filipino brand of processed cheese with a creamy and gooey texture.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Heat up your sauté pan over medium-high heat and pour in about ¼ cup of olive oil. Toss in 6 cloves of garlic, 1 chopped onion, and half each of a red and green bell pepper.
Cook them for 8 to 10 minutes until they're nice and soft, and they start to caramelize. Give them a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste.
PRO TIP: Give your aromatics enough time to soften and caramelize. This step might take a bit longer, but it's worth it for the amazing flavor it adds to your sauce.
Step 2: Add 6 ounces of tomato paste to the pan. Sauté it for about 3 minutes until it starts to turn a brownish color. Browning the tomato paste really brings out a richer, deeper flavor in your sauce.
Step 3: Add 2 pounds of ground meat to the pan. Break it up with your spoon and cook until it's lightly browned, which should take about 15 minutes. Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt (use less if you're using table salt) and ground black pepper to taste.
Step 4: Pour in a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Add 2 teaspoons each of garlic powder and onion powder, ½ teaspoon of dried oregano, 2 dried bay leaves, 2 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste), salt (about 1 teaspoon kosher salt), and pepper to taste. Give everything a good stir.
Cover the pan and let it simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes. Taste the sauce and tweak the seasoning if needed. Once done, remember to remove the bay leaves. Set the sauce aside for later.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). While it's heating up, boil a pot of salted water boiling for the pasta and start on your béchamel sauce.
Step 5: In a saucepan, melt ⅓ cup of butter over medium heat. Add ⅓ cup of flour and stir them together until you've got a thick paste, known as a roux.
Step 6: Keep cooking the roux for about a minute. You don't want it to brown, just cook long enough to get rid of the raw flour taste.
Step 7: Start by adding a bit of warm milk to the thick roux to loosen it up, then gradually pour in the rest until you've added a total of 3 cups. Season the mixture with ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and either black or white pepper to taste.
PRO TIP: Warming the milk before adding it to the roux helps thicken it faster and reduces splattering.
Step 8: Whisk the sauce until it's smooth and begins to thicken, which should take about 5 minutes. Keep in mind that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Once done, set it aside.
Step 9: Return to the boiling water and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than what the package instructions recommend for al dente; it'll finish cooking in the oven. Drain the pasta and mix it with the meat sauce in a 4-quart baking dish.
Step 10: Pack them lightly and smooth out the top. Then, evenly spread the bechamel sauce over it.
Step 11: Sprinkle the cheddar and mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
Step 12: Bake the dish for 20 to 30 minutes, or until you see the edges bubbling and the top has turned a nice golden brown.
Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
A casserole is a warm, baked dish where you mix ingredients together in a special baking dish called a casserole dish. This type of dish is deep, wide, and oven-safe, typically made from glass or ceramic. You just toss everything in and bake it in the oven!
Béchamel sauce is a smooth, creamy white sauce made from butter, milk, flour, and seasonings like salt and nutmeg. It begins with a roux-a mixture of fat (usually butter) and flour that thickens the sauce. Milk is gradually added to the roux and whisked until the sauce becomes silky. The thickness of the béchamel can vary depending on its use. For example, in some Baked Macaroni recipes, they use a mornay sauce, which is basically béchamel jazzed up with cheese.
What to serve with Baked Macaroni
- Pandesal: Filipino bread rolls that are perfect for scooping up any cheesy leftovers.
- Filipino BBQ Skewers: Grilled pork skewers marinated in a sweet and savory sauce.
- Lechon Kawali: Crispy deep-fried pork belly with crunchy skin and juicy meat.
- Lumpiang Shanghai: Crispy fried spring rolls filled with ground meat and vegetables.
- Lumpiang Gulay: Vegetable spring rolls filled with vegetables wrapped in crunchy lumpia wrappers.
Other noodles and pasta recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Baked Macaroni
Equipment
- 4-quart casserole or oven-safe dish
- Sauté pan or Dutch oven for the meat sauce
- Saucepan or pot for the pasta
- Saucepan or pot for the béchamel sauce
Ingredients
For the pasta and sauce:
- 1 pound macaroni or elbows (see note)
- ¼ cup olive oil sub:neutral oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 yellow onion minced
- ½ red bell pepper minced
- ½ green bell pepper minced
- 1 can (6-ounce) tomato paste (see note)
- 2 pounds ground meat (see note)
- 1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes (see note)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or more)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
For the béchamel sauce:
- 3 cups warm milk
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese (about 1 ½ cups ) grated
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese (about 1 ½ cups) grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup olive oil and sauté the garlic, onion, and half each of a red and green bell pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes until soft and caramelized, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add tomato paste and sauté for about 3 minutes until it browns slightly, for a richer, deeper flavor.
- Add ground meat, break it up, and cook until lightly browned for about 15 minutes. Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt (use half for table salt) and ground pepper to taste.
- Add crushed tomatoes, 2 cups of water, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried bay leaves, sugar (or more), salt (about 1 teaspoon kosher salt), and pepper to taste. Mix them up.
- Cover and let it simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Taste it and adjust as needed. After cooking, remove the bay leaves, then set the sauce aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C). Boil a pot of salted water for the pasta.
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir until it forms a thick paste or a roux. Cook for about a minute before it turns brown, just long enough to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add some warm milk to loosen up the thick roux, then add the rest. Add nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and black or white pepper to taste.
- Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Set it aside.
- Return to the boiling water and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than what the package instructions recommend for al dente; it'll finish cooking in the oven.
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the meat sauce in a casserole dish. Pack them lightly and even out the top.
- Spread the béchamel sauce evenly, then sprinkle cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the top has nicely browned.
Video
Notes
- Elbows or macaroni: These are short, hollow tubes with a curved shape that help trap the sauce. You can also use pasta shapes with cavities, grooves, or ridges to which the sauce can easily adhere, such as shells, fusilli, or penne.
- Ground meat: I used ground beef, but you can also use pork, chicken, veal, or a blend for an even better flavor and texture.
- Crushed tomatoes: They have a fresh flavor and slightly chunky texture. You can also crush whole peeled tomatoes to your desired consistency, or use tomato sauce in a pinch.
- Tomato paste: This is super concentrated and packed with a deep tomato flavor. I use it along with crushed tomatoes to add richness and intensity to the dish.
- Cheese: I'm using both cheddar and mozzarella cheese. You can also use Quick melt cheese, a Filipino brand of processed cheese with a creamy and gooey texture.
Mary Anne says
Hello Nora, This looks so much better than what I had growing up. I am so excited to make this. Thank you and I will send you a picture.
Nora Rey says
Hi Mary Anne,
I'm glad you're excited about the recipe. I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job making it. And yes, please do send me a picture! I love seeing how things turn out for people. Let me know if you have any questions along the way or if there's anything else I can help you with. Happy cooking!