Baked Macaroni is a Filipino-style pasta casserole with a meaty sauce and a layer of creamy béchamel sauce topped with melted cheese. This easy, delicious meal is perfect for feeding a crowd!
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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 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: Because it is concentrated, it has a deep tomato taste that intensifies when sautéed in oil until caramelized.
How to make this recipe
(1)Set a sauté pan over medium-high heat, then add ¼ cup olive oil. Sauté 6 garlic cloves, 1 onion, ½ red bell pepper, and ½ green bell pepper until softened and caramelized for 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
(2)Add 6 ounces of tomato paste and sauté until it turns brownish, about 3 minutes.
(3)Add 2 pounds of ground meat, break it up, and cook until browned for about 15 minutes. Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt (use less for table salt) and ground pepper to taste.
(4)Add 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 2 dried bay leaves, 2 tablespoons 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. Set the sauce aside.
Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C). Boil a pot of salted water for the pasta while making the béchamel sauce.
(5)In a saucepan, melt ⅓ cup butter over medium heat. Add ⅓ cup flour and stir until it forms a thick paste or a roux.
(6)Cook the roux for about a minute before it turns brown, just long enough to remove the raw flour taste.
(7)Add some warm milk to loosen up the thick roux, then add the rest (a total of 3 cups). Add ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, a pinch of salt, and black or white pepper to taste.
PRO TIP: Warming the milk before adding it to the roux helps thicken it faster and prevents splattering.
(8)Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. The sauce will get thicker as it cools. Set it aside.
Return to the boiling water and undercook the pasta 2 minutes before it is al dente—it will finish cooking in the oven. (9)Drain and combine with the meat sauce in a 4-quart casserole dish.
(10)Pack them lightly and even out the top. Spread the béchamel sauce evenly.
(11)Sprinkle cheddar and mozzarella cheese on top.
(12)Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the top has nicely browned.
Allow it to cool slightly before serving.
Frequently asked questions
A casserole is a hot dish where ingredients are combined in a casserole dish and baked in the oven. A casserole dish is a deep, wide vessel that is oven-safe and usually made with glass or ceramic.
A béchamel sauce is a creamy, white sauce made with butter, milk, flour, and seasonings like salt and nutmeg. The sauce starts with a roux or a thickener made of fat (usually butter) and flour, then milk is slowly whisked in to create a silky finish.
Its consistency will vary depending on how it is used. Other Baked Macaroni recipes use mornay sauce, a cheesy white sauce made from béchamel sauce and cheese.
Other noodles and pasta recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Baked Macaroni
Equipment
- 4-quart casserole or oven-safe dish
- Saucepan for the pasta
- Sauté pan or Dutch oven for the meat sauce
- Saucepan for the béchamel sauce
Ingredients
For the pasta and sauce:
- 1 pound macaroni or elbows
- 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
- 2 pounds ground meat beef, pork, veal, or chicken
- 1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes sub:tomato saucee
- 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, sauté garlic, onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper in olive oil until softened and caramelized for 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add tomato paste and sauté until it turns brownish, about 3 minutes.
- Add ground meat, break it up, and cook until browned for about 15 minutes. Season with a teaspoon of kosher salt (use less 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. 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 undercook the pasta 2 minutes before it is al dente.
- 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.
Mary Anne
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.