Baked Macaroni (LFK Style)

When it comes to pasta, Baked Macaroni is one of the most requested dishes in our kitchen. We do it whenever we feel like it; and  I certainly have no idea how other styles are made, but I know for certain that this style works in my household. Plus, it is easy to prepare.

As I have been mentioning in my other posts, I like making twists in almost every recipe that I do in my kitchen. I am not the type who stick to what has been written on recipe blogs or shown on video tutorials. My disappointments have taught me so, although, not all that I've read or seen failed to deliver what is expected from a certain recipe and I appreciate each of those who are true to what they are posting or blogging about.

Let me get enough of my rants and let's get you to how Baked Macaroni (LFK Style) is done.

For this, we need the following ingredients:

• 400 grams Macaroni
• Fresh ground beef (or any meat of your choice and as much as you want to)
• Beef bullion
• 200 ml. Tomato Sauce
• 500 ml. Sweet Style Sauce (and yes, I mean spaghetti sauce here. Ironic right?)
• Grated Cheddar Cheese (as much as you can)
• Chopped canned mushroom
• Finely chopped garlic 
• Finely chopped onions (I prefer white onions as they are sweet)
• Rosemary
• Parsley (I don't have access to fresh ones so I used dried parsley. Either way, will do.)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

For béchamel:

• Quick-melt Cheese (Other cheeses will also do)
• 2 tbsp. All purpose flour
• Salted Butter
• Fresh or Evaporated Milk
• Pinch of salt
• White ground pepper

Let's do it!

• First off, sauté garlic and onion with butter.
• Add ground beef, then season with salt and pepper. This part may take a few minutes as beef meat needs time to cook. As the beef changes its color, drop a pinch of dried rosemary. This will enhance the aroma. When the meat is done, 
• When the meat is done, it's time to put in the chopped mushrooms.
• Add enough water to cook the pasta and bring it to boil. As it starts to simmer, put in the beef bullion and stir  until it's dissolved.
• Add the macaroni pasta. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking the bottom of the pan. Cook the pasta for about 20 minutes.
• When the pasta is nearly done, it's time to add the tomato sauce, sweet style sauce, milk and the grated cheese. Mix until well-combined.
• Transfer pasta to a bakeware or an aluminum pan, if you have it, and set aside,

This time, let's do the béchamel, real quick!

• In a sauce pan, dissolve 2 tbsp. of all-purpose flour into the milk using a whisk.
• Add a tbsp. of melted butter, evaporated milk, salt and white ground paper. Mix and bring to boil, real quick! Note that constant stirring is needed here in order to avoid lumps.
• When done, drizzle to cover pretty much the top of  macaroni (as shown below); then sprinkle dried parsley and in to the oven for 15 minutes at 120 degrees.
• Pop out of the oven when done, let it cool down a little and it's ready to cut and serve.

Freshly Baked Macaroni can be stored and may last for up to a week - making it a great make-ahead meal for the family. Plus, the best part is that you can have it at any time of the day.

I hope this recipe helps. 

Let me know how different am I preparing Baked Macaroni from yours. I would love to know your ways as well so feel free to comment them below.