The humble Macaroni Mince Casserole (Makaronilaatikko) is a staple in Finnish cuisine. It’s an all-time favourite and one of the most popular foods in Finland, particularly amongst families! It’s super easy and quick to make, and it won’t hurt your budget either!
Macaroni Casserole
🍴 Servings: 6 – 8
🕒 Hands-on: 15 – 20 minutes
🎛 Cooking time: ~ 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the casserole
- 500g beef mince (12% fat)
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- ½ red pepper, diced (optional)
- 500g macaroni
- 700ml milk (full-fat)
- 3 eggs
Mince seasoning
- 1 – 1.5 tsp salt
- ½ – 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ – ½ tsp white pepper
- ¼ – ½ tsp paprika
Plus
- vegetable oil, for frying
- butter, for greasing
- ketchup, to serve
STEPS
1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add onions. Cook on a medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat and add mince. Break it up, season and fry until brown (keep turning the mince as it cooks). Once cooked set aside.
2 Cook the macaroni in well salted water. Leave it slightly under, 2-3 minutes less than cooking time on package instructions.
Turn the oven on now, preheat it to 180℃. Also grease the oven dish!
3 Meanwhile, break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Lightly season the mix using the mince spices, a pinch each plus 1/4 tsp salt will be enough.
4 Pour the mince into a greased oven dish, followed by most of the drained pasta. Give it a stir and top with the remaining macaroni. Pour in the egg-milk mixture but do not stir anymore!
5 Cook in 180℃ (fan) for about 45 minutes or until top looks golden.
6 Let the dish set for 10-15 minutes before serving and serve with ketchup! It may sound weird but ketchup complements this dish perfectly 🙂
Notes:
- Seasoning — Season the mince well as other flavours in this dish are very subtle! I prefer the macaroni mince casserole slightly peppery, but you can always leave the cayenne pepper out
- Stock — For extra flavour, cook the macaroni in stock. I normally crumble in half a beef stock cube (Knorr beef stock) into the pasta water
- Stirring — Don’t stir the casserole after adding the final layer of pasta. These macaronis crisp up nicely in the oven and add some texture on the dish
- Cheese — Try the casserole with some mild cheese, such as mozzarella. Just add the mozzarella when you mix the macaroni and mince together. You can add the cheese on the top too but then you won’t get to enjoy the crunchy macaronis on top
For more detailed mince cooking instructions, check my page SIMPLE BEEF MINCE!
Main equipment:
Large frying pan → mince
Medium saucepan → pasta
Colander (optional)
Small mixing bowl (1L) → egg-milk mixture
Chopping board + knife
Large oven dish (2.5L)
Other recipes you might like…! ⤵︎
Easy and substantial meal!