Barbados Macaroni Pie
Tube macaroni baked firm with a lot of cheddar, evaporated milk, an egg, grated onion and the Bajan signature, ketchup and yellow mustard, under a golden cheese top.
In Barbados, macaroni pie is often called simply "pie", and barbados.org, a long-running Barbados-based guide, calls it one of the island's most popular foods, sold at restaurants and roadside stands and served beside fish, chicken, pork or stew. The Bajan version uses tube macaroni rather than elbows, and its seasoning sets it apart from Trinidad's: ketchup and yellow mustard go right into the custard. A National Geographic feature paid for by Visit Barbados calls it the island's "comfort food of choice", says it comes with a kick from spices, mustard and hot sauce, and suggests it may have originated on the island (updated April 2023:). The same feature says the national dish is flying fish and cou cou, not macaroni pie.
Why it works the kitchen science
Ketchup and mustard
The sweet-tangy ketchup and sharp yellow mustard cut through a full pound of cheddar, which is why this pie tastes brighter than plain baked macaroni.
One egg, lots of cheese
With only one egg, most of the binding comes from melted cheese and evaporated milk, giving a dense, sliceable pie with a rich, cheesy middle.
Step by step
- Step 1
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the broken macaroni and cook uncovered until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes.
- Step 2
Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.
- Step 3
Drain the macaroni and return it to the saucepan, off the heat. Let it cool 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Stir in the onion, 4 cups cheese, evaporated milk, ketchup, mustard and egg until evenly combined. Season with salt, pepper and any herbs or hot sauce.
- Step 5
Pour it into the dish, scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs if you like.
- Step 6
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on top and set in the middle. The center should read at least 160°F.
- Step 7
Let it rest 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Barbados Macaroni Pie
Serves 6 (as a side) · one 8 or 9-inch square dish · 1 hr 5 min total
Pasta
- 1/2 lb tube macaroni, broken into thirds
- Salt for the water
Cheese custard
- 4 cups grated cheddar (1 lb), plus 1/2 cup for the top
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Salt and black pepper
- Optional: a pinch of dried thyme or marjoram, a few dashes of hot sauce
Top
- Optional: 2 tbsp fine dry breadcrumbs
- Butter or oil for the dish
Method
- Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the broken macaroni and cook uncovered until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.
- Drain the macaroni and return it to the saucepan, off the heat. Let it cool 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the onion, 4 cups cheese, evaporated milk, ketchup, mustard and egg until evenly combined. Season with salt, pepper and any herbs or hot sauce.
- Pour it into the dish, scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs if you like.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on top and set in the middle. The center should read at least 160°F.
- Let it rest 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Adapted from barbados.org, "Macaroni Pie (Macaroni and Cheese)". Amounts, oven temperature and bake time are theirs; barbados.org says each cook has a personal version and these are only the basics. Servings, dish size, the 1/2 cup of cheese for the top and the pasta cooking time are our estimates. The 160°F center check is from the USDA chart (see Food safety baseline). We did not find a recipe on Visit Barbados's own site. barbados.org. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Break the tubes into thirds before boiling, as barbados.org says, so they pack tight and slice cleanly.
- Grating the onion lets it melt into the custard.
- Barbados.org suggests serving it as a side with fish, chicken, pork or stew.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Tube macaroni, not elbows. Documented as the Bajan way (barbados.org).
- Ketchup and mustard in the pie. Documented (barbados.org; National Geographic paid feature for Visit Barbados).
- Macaroni pie is the national dish of Barbados. Folklore: the Visit Barbados feature names flying fish and cou cou.
- Macaroni pie was invented in Barbados. Disputed: the Visit Barbados feature says it may have originated there; the dish's baked-macaroni roots run back to English recipes (see our Virginia House-Wife Baked Macaroni recipe), and Trinidad, Tobago and other islands have their own long traditions.
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