Chef-tested recipe
Macaroni pie is a familiar Barbadian Sunday-table side: a firm, richly seasoned baked pasta, usually sliced rather than spooned. This home-kitchen version uses cheddar, evaporated milk, mustard and a little pepper sauce.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 6 servings
- Cuisine
- Barbadian (Bajan)
- Course
- Side dish
- Best Served With
- Bajan fried fish, chicken or stewed meats. Storage and Food Safety Cool promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate at 4°C or below and use within 2 days. Reheat thoroughly until piping hot.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Ingredients
- 350 g dry elbow macaroni
- 250 g mature cheddar, grated, divided
- 300 ml evaporated milk
- 1 large egg (about 50 g without shell), beaten
- 80 g onion, finely grated
- 45 g tomato ketchup
- 15 g yellow mustard
- 5–10 ml Bajan-style pepper sauce, to taste paid link
- 5 g fine salt, or to taste paid link
- 2 g black pepper
- 10 g butter for greasing
Method
1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 22 cm baking dish. Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until just short of tender; drain well.
2. In a large bowl combine evaporated milk, egg, onion, ketchup, mustard, pepper sauce and black pepper. Fold in 200 g of the cheddar.
3. Mix the still-warm drained pasta with the seasoned milk mixture. Taste a small portion of the sauce before it touches the raw egg, and adjust salt as needed.
4. Spread evenly in the baking dish. Scatter over the remaining 50 g cheddar.
5. Bake for 30–40 minutes until set in the centre and golden on top. Rest 10 minutes before cutting into portions.
Beginner Technique Notes
A firmer slice comes from draining the pasta thoroughly and resting the pie after baking. For a stronger pepper bite, add sauce at the table rather than over-seasoning the entire dish.
Substitutions
Replace the onion with 60 g finely chopped spring onion. Regular whole milk works if evaporated milk is unavailable, but gives a lighter result.
Allergen Notes
Contains wheat, milk and egg. Check mustard and pepper sauce labels.
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