Macaroni Pie - Recipe from Barbados- The Foreign Fork (2024)

This Macaroni Pie from Barbados is the ultimate comfort food. Barbados has made macaroni and cheese their own by adding evaporated milk, ketchup, and mustard to the dish. This baked casserole is creamy, savory, and slightly sweet, with a perfectly cheesy center.

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I have always had a love affair with macaroni and cheese. What’s not to love about noodles drenched in lots of cheese?

My preference has always been for real gooey sauce, not baked (that dries out the noodles in my opinion).

This Macaroni Pie Recipe from Barbados breaks that rule and still somehow manages to be incredibly delicious and creamy.

Despite being baked it is still so oh-so-gooey. The combination of evaporated milk, ketchup, and mustard may seem strange at first but the flavor is so, so good. It’s a touch sweet, but also tangy and savory.

If you’re looking for a slightly new twist on macaroni and cheese, this dish will not disappoint. It’s full of flavor, cream, and the perfect texture and will make an amazing main dish for dinner or an easy lunch.

Recipe Origin

Macaroni Pie is one of the most popular dishes in Barbados, often served as part of a Sunday lunch or dinner.

Bajan cuisine is inspired by the many different cultures that have come to the island since its beginning. It was colonized by the British in the 1600s, who brought slaves from Africa to help cultivate sugar cane and rum. Slaves were emancipated in the 1800s but still treated poorly for centuries.

The British brought ingredients from all over the world to the small island. Macaroni pie may have been a take on American macaroni and cheese, though others say it originated in Barbados and spread to the United States from there.

Bajan Macaroni Pie is, of course, very different from the macaroni and cheese you may be used to. This dish is made flavored with ketchup and mustard, and filled with 5 cups of cheese melted into evaporated milk! This creates a thick and uniquely flavored pasta casserole that can be cut into slices with small pockets of cheese in each bite.

Macaroni pie has become so popular in Barbados that it is more often simply called “pie.” Each family has their own variation of making the dish at home, but you can also find it in restaurants all over the island.

Why Make This Recipe

1. New Spin on an Old Classic: I’ve never had a problem with blue-box mac and cheese, but this version of an old favorite is worth a try!
2. Easy Recipe: There are no intimidating ingredients in this dish, just noodles and cheese in a slightly unique cheese sauce
3. Taste of Barbados: You’re in for a treat if you have never had a dish from Barbados before. This classic comfort food is a great place to start!

What Do I Need To Make This Recipe

Ingredients

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

1. Elbow Macaroni: Long, tubed macaroni noodles are a traditional option. These noodles are the most hearty and can withstand being baked.
2. Yellow Onion: Grated so that it will flavor the Macaroni Pie Recipe without the texture being detected.
3. Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded. Anchor brand is a popular choice in Barbados. It’s a very sharp cheddar cheese that melts beautifully. Choose any aged cheddar you like.
4. Mustard: It is also popular to use ground mustard, but in this recipe I am using prepared mustard. If using ground mustard, reduce the quantity.
5. Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, ground thyme and complete seasoning with garlic powder and onion powder. You could also add some marjoram and oregano if you like!

Tools

1. Large Pot
2. 9×9 Baking Dish: Greased with nonstick spray!

How to Make This Recipe

Step One: Cook your Pasta

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Boil and salt water, and cook the noodles according to the package instructions until they are al dente. Drain the noodles.

Step Two: Prepare the Sauce

In the pot, melt butter. Then add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes until softened.

Once the onion is softened, add the flour and mix until a paste forms.

Add the evaporated milk over medium-high heat and whisk until it comes to a boil and begins to thicken up. Your milk is ready when it can thickly coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Turn off the heat, then add 4 cups of the cheddar cheese to your milk mixture and whisk until the cheese fully melts into the milk.

Then add the rest of the ingredients into the cheese mixture (ketchup, mustard, and seasonings). Mix to combine again.

Step Three: Combine and Bake

Finally, add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce, and give it a good stir so that the noodles are fully coated.

Grease a 9×9 pan and put the macaroni mixture into the dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake the macaroni pie recipe for about 35-40 minutes until heated all the way through and the cheese is melted on top. Enjoy!

Expert Tips:

• My recipe does not call for marjoram or oregano because I chose to keep it simple, but some families do add these seasonings! If you choose to add them, I would add about a teaspoon of each.
• Bajan Seasoning is another popular spice to add when this is being made in Barbados. You can order it online or make your own. It adds a bit of spice to the dish.
• It’s a good idea to reserve a little bit of pasta water in case you need to adjust the thickness of your sauce.
• When I ordered this dish in Barbados, I noticed the Bajan version was often white, rather than orange. To get this color you could use white cheddar.
• You can use just about any kind of mustard in this dish. You can use a teaspoon of dried ground mustard, or try it with dijon. I’ve even seen some chefs use honey mustard for a little extra sweetness.
• Feel free to top your Macaroni Pie with bread crumbs. This is not a traditional topping, but it is delicious! For an extra crispy topping you can spray your bread crumbs with a little oil before baking.

Storing Leftovers

This Macaroni Pie will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months once completely cooled and sealed in an airtight container.

FAQs

If you are a fan of macaroni and cheese, you’ve got to try making this dish for yourself!

And if you enjoyed this macaroni pie recipe, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:

• Bakes from Barbados
• Cou Cou from Barbados
• Homemade Macaroni Recipe
• Haitian Spaghetti