Baked Macaroni is a great comfort food to enjoy with loved ones. With meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and cheese, this baked macaroni recipe is a fun and easy meal to make when you’re craving that little bite of comfort. The layers of complexity to this dish’s flavor are accented by how compact and put together the finished product is!
Macaroni is a very common pasta noodle, used in a variety of dishes. Many people enjoy eating macaroni in salads, with the additional toppings depending on preference. For instance, if you’re looking for something quick and easy to make, you might enjoy this Luncheon Meat Mac Salad With Cheese. This recipe doesn’t require much cooking time; in 15 minutes you can have a macaroni salad of your own!
Another favorite, especially during the holidays, is the Chicken and Egg Macaroni Salad. You can serve this dish upon cooking, or chilled, depending on how you like to eat it! A lot of people pair this salad with crispy fried chicken for that amazing combination of sweet and salty.
Upon first glance, Baked Macaroni may seem like just a combination of mac and cheese –– like the popular American dish. But don’t be fooled! This Baked Macaroni Recipe is like a cross between the classic mac and cheese and another pasta dish: lasagna. Just as cheese and elbow macaroni are important to this recipe, meat and other vegetables make it a more filling and nutritious dish, for consumers young and old!
Another important aspect of this Baked Macaroni is the Mornay sauce. Mornay sauce is made up of a combination of various cheeses. You can commonly find it in dishes like mac and cheese and lasagna –– a white sauce packed with delicious, cheesy flavors you could absolutely drown in. Mornay sauce makes your Baked Macaroni recipe a little creamier, while the presence of meat and other vegetables gives it an opposing salty and savory taste. Combined in your mouth, you have a perfect bite of Baked Macaroni!
A Step By Step Baked Macaroni Recipe
- The Noodles
There are two sauces to make for this Baked Macaroni Recipe: one is your meat sauce, and the other, your white Mornay sauce. But firstly –– we can’t forget to prepare the actual macaroni! Cook your elbow macaroni according to package instructions, but intentionally cut the cooking time so that your macaroni is just almost, but not quite well done. This is to avoid making it overcooked once we put it in the oven later. Don’t forget to salt your pasta water! Once your time is up, drain your macaroni and set it aside.
- The Meat Sauce
Prepare to make your Baked Macaroni’s meat sauce by heating a cooking pot and placing your butter inside. Let your butter melt, and once hot enough add in your ground beef. Stir and cook your beef for 5 minutes, or until it becomes a medium brown –– whichever comes first.
Add in your diced onions, tomatoes, and green bell peppers. Stir then let them simmer for 3 minutes, or up until your veggies have softened. Add half a cup of tomato paste and a teaspoon of paprika and sit again! Let your sauce cook for a minute, making sure to incorporate all the ingredients well.
The next thing to add is your beef cube and water, and from there you have all the ingredients of your Baked Macaroni recipe’s meat sauce in the pot! Stir until you’ve well distributed all your ingredients, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Add your sugar and salt and pepper to taste, and mix all your ingredients well once again. Turn the heat off and set your meat sauce aside –– now it’s time to make the Mornay!
- The Mornay Sauce
The second important sauce in this Baked Macaroni Recipe is the cheesy, creamy Mornay. Start preparing by melting your butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in your flour gradually, stirring it well and carefully for about a minute. The color we’re aiming for here is a yellowish, not brown. Whisk in your 2 cups of fresh milk until your sauce thickens and comes to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, letting the pot simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
Now it’s time to add in your cheeses! A traditional Mornay sauce recipe would call for Gruyere cheese, but for this Baked Macaroni recipe we’re using a combination of grated parmesan and sharp cheddar. Sharp cheddar in Mornay is what you most commonly find in mac and cheese, after all. Whisk your cheese and incorporate well into the sauce until it fully melts; by now, the smell of creamy cheese and milk must be absolutely irresistible!
Once the ingredients are well blended, set it aside for the time being. We’re now ready to move on to our next step –– arguably the most important one!
- The Baked Macaroni
Of course, this Baked Macaroni Recipe wouldn’t be complete without the actual baking process! Now that all your sauces and pasta noodles are ready, it’s time to put this mac in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine your cooked macaroni and meat sauce in a baking dish; toss them together, distributing the meat sauce well. Every macaroni noodle should absorb the meaty flavor of this sauce.
Arrange the meaty macaroni and spread the Mornay sauce across the whole dish! It’s important that you cover every space of the macaroni and meat mixture with Mornay –– almost like you’re adding another layer of lasagna. Once the oven is at 350 degrees, let your Baked Macaroni stay in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Take it out once time is up, but be careful –– it might be a little hot! Allow it time to cool down first. But once it has, voila –– your baked macaroni is done! Serve it hot and share for all your loved ones to enjoy.
If you liked this baked pasta, you can also try my Creamy Baked Spaghetti next, which makes use of spaghetti noodles as opposed to elbow macaroni. Both taste amazing!
Let us know what you think of this awesome Baked Macaroni Recipe!
Baked Macaroni Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni uncooked
Meat Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 ½ cup tomatoes diced (in can)
- 1 piece onions diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 piece beef cube
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mornay Sauce
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups fresh milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese grated
- 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Prepare the elbow macaroni according to instructions in the package and intentionally cut the cooking time so that the macaroni is not well done (the macaroni will be fully cooked once baked) then drain and set aside.
- Prepare the meat sauce by heating a cooking pot and melt-in the butter.
- When the butter is hot enough, add the ground beef and cook for 5 minutes or until the color turns medium brown.
- Add the onion, green bell pepper, and diced tomatoes then stir and simmer for 3 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the tomato paste and paprika then stir and cook for a minute
- Add the beef cube and water then stir until everything is well distributed. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Put-in the sugar, salt, and pepper then mix well. Turn of the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the Mornay sauce by melting the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the flour stir constantly for about a minute (color must be yellowish and not brown).
- Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil.
- Add salt and pepper then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cheeses and whisk until melted. Set aside
- Combine the cooked macaroni and meat sauce in a baking dish then toss until the meat sauce is well distributed.
- Arrange the macaroni and pour the Mornay sauce over it. (Spread the Mornay sauce over the macaroni and meat sauce mixture ensuring that every space is covered)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool down a bit.
- Serve hot. Share and Enjoy!
Vanjo Merano says
All up to you, Kristine. I will still recommend that you follow the exact recipe.
Marco says
Made this today! Best baked mac ever! Minodify ko lang po nang kaunti yung recipe to suit what we have on hand: bottled pasta sauce instead of tomatoes, 1/2 lb ground pork instead of 1 lb ground beef, no paprika and beef cube, quickmelt cheese and a dash of ground nutmeg for the mornay sauce (omitted the parmesan). Still turned out great! This is a keeper for us. Salamat po sa recipe. 🙂
Vanjo Merano says
You are welcome, Marco.
Ma Lee Alpuerto says
I have all the ingredients here for baked Mac except canned tomatoes sad to say its not available
Here in our place..can I use tomatoe sauce instead? I’ll be cooking it for our Noche buena tonite so it’s like I need to know your answer chef..Merry Christmas! And by the way, is full cream milk ok? Thanks agen..
Vanjo Merano says
I guess this did not make it on time, but yes you can use tomato sauce. You are very welcome and hope to hear from you soon.
Jenny Sison says
Hello I just wanna ask, my oven is only until 250 degrees, may i know how can I timed it if you’re baking it 15-20mins in a 350 degrees oven?
Thanks, btw been using most of your recipes and it did me great.
Vanjo Merano says
Jenny, can you check if your oven is in Fahrenheit. Your oven must be in Celsius; if this is the case then you need to convert 350F to C and that will be your oven temp (around 177C if that is the case).
Pipo says
I’m an avid lurker of your site and I’ve tried a lot of your recipes which were all amazing. Now, my question is if I use chicken rather than beef, are there any difference in the ingredients or the amount you put in?
Vanjo Merano says
Pipo, nice to see you in the open. There shouldn’t be any changes with the amount of ingredients. Use the recipe as it is with the exception of ground beef.
ANNA LYN NATIVIDAD says
wazuuup!!!tnx 4 sharing dis yummmy baked macaroni recipE,,,”PERPECT” nkakalaway as in ever,,,hmmmp ty uli
lheoh says
i try to make this recipe on sunday… my bday surprise for my hubby…. hope it will be successful… thanks in advance for this recipe 🙂 more power!
maan says
hi vanjo greetings!!! you know everytime I feel bored I just open my computer and I always look on your site especially on your menu and I find it all very interesting…although there are lots of procedures beside you on “youtube” but I only find yours more easy and simple to cope with… I’ll try this recipe on my bday on feb.2…ummm Im excited to make this one… “baked macaroni” one of my favorite!!! more power to you vanjo
Diane Cainglet says
On a Friday night, my daughter and I thought of something yummy to eat and well baked macaroni came first so we started google searching and studied your recipe. Three hours passed and we are full, gastronomic cravings sated, was uber delicioso and perfected it for a beginner like me. Thank you so much and keep it up.
rc says
Thank you! I remember my mom making this; but she doesn’t remember how to make it anymore! So, I’ll flip this one to her hoping she’ll cook this for us again =)
Dion Santos says
I exactly followed your recipe it’s so good if my friends didn’t devour it quickly I was supposed to take photos :))
kikai says
hi ian! was wondering kung naging ‘matagumpay’ ung quick melt cheese instead of the parmesan. thanks! will cook this tom and don’t think we have parmesan cheese avail nearby. hope to hear from you very soon. thanks!
Ian Perez says
Hi kikai! sorry late response, i’ve tried it,at yes,it worked for me 🙂 Hope yung sayo ganun din. 😉
Malou says
Hi Sir Vanjo,
I have a question is your Panlasang Pinoy Cookbook volume 1 recipe is free? Thanks.
no-comment says
hi all, i followed this recipe and turned out great! I don’t even have an oven so i baked it in microwave oven for 8mins max temp(not sure if this is right) but turned out great! Many said it would not ‘bake’ it using microwave but it did. I just made sure macaroni was fully cooked and mornay sauce was thick enough. Im very satisified by the outcome coz i wasn’t hoping a good outcome coz i googled and many said microwave won’t bake it. Also, i wasn’t able to find sharp cheddar(i didn,t know what it is until i googled but even if i do, store i went to doesn’t have it so I used kraft cheddar cheese & parmesan). Love it! Thanks!!
May says
Hi Kuya! Can I use crushed tomatoes (canned) to substitute diced tomatoes, its not always available in stores here at Doha… 🙂 thanks!
Vanjo Merano says
Yes May, you can use crushed tomatoes.
angela says
good day sir vanjo..can we cook ds n a microwave? tnx
Vanjo Merano says
This is good for 5 to 6 persons.
chris allarde says
Hi Vanjo, Can I use microwave I don’t have oven either.
jayzone says
hi, can i use turbo broiler instead of oven for this recipe? don’t have oven:(
erik says
Hi,
We are gathering ingredients so we can try your recipe, but we cant find diced tomatoes here in Angeles City. What is the substitute for it? Thanks in advanced for your reply.
Jane says
Hi. Just came across your post. I use Hunt’s diced tomatoes. You should be able to find this at SM City. There are other brands available but I like Hunt’s better. Cook away!
ajhel says
Hi,
Vanjo I’ve been cooking this recipe three months ago,and im so happy coz they always request this in every occasion,I made it perfectly they love it thanks to you and this site… 🙂