Finnish Makaronilaatikko (Macaroni and Beef Custard Bake)
Finland's everyday macaroni casserole: elbows and browned ground beef baked in a milk and egg custard under Swiss cheese until set and golden, served the Finnish way with ketchup or lingonberries.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
In Finland *makaronilaatikko*, "macaroni box", is macaroni baked in the oven, often with meat and always bound with *munamaito*, a milk and egg mixture that sets as it bakes (Finnish Wikipedia:). Finnish Wikipedia says it was first made without meat and served in place of potatoes, and that the version with ground beef later became the best known. The Finnish broadcaster Yle traced its rise in 2016: macaroni shows up on Finnish tables in the mid-1800s but was an imported luxury, so macaroni casserole, especially the meaty kind, was party food served at weddings; in 1892 it was grand enough to be a cooking-school final project; macaroni spread in the 1900s as Finland grew more wheat and began making its own pasta; and in wartime, when food was short, it kept hunger away and slowly became an everyday dish. Yle calls it the food Finns have argued over and loved, "with ketchup or without".
It is a cousin of American baked macaroni and cheese, with a different idea underneath. English Wikipedia files it under macaroni casserole, a northern European home staple of macaroni mixed with eggs and milk and often eaten with ketchup, with Swedish and Indonesian relatives. America's version melts cheese into a sauce; Finland's sets milk and eggs into a custard and puts the cheese on top.
Why it works the kitchen science
Egg and milk instead of a cheese sauce
The custard sets around the macaroni in a gentle 350°F oven, so the casserole cuts into firm squares and needs no roux at all.
Undercooked macaroni
The pasta finishes cooking in the custard, drinking up some of the milk, which keeps the bake moist and stops the noodles going soft.
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Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
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Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Boil the macaroni in salted water 2 minutes less than the package says, then drain.
- Step 2
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, then add the onion and cook 5 minutes more, until soft. Stir in the salt, pepper and thyme.
- Step 3
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until no streaks remain, then whisk in the milk and salt.
- Step 4
Tip the macaroni and beef into the dish with about two thirds of the cheese and stir to spread evenly. Pour the egg milk over; it should come almost to the top of the macaroni.
- Step 5
Scatter the diced pepper and the rest of the cheese over the top. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Step 6
Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until the custard is set in the center (a knife comes out without liquid milk), the top is golden and the center reads 165°F.
- Step 7
Rest 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve with ketchup or lingonberry jam.
Finnish Makaronilaatikko (Macaroni and Beef Custard Bake)
Serves 8 · one 9x13-inch pan · 1 hr 25 min total
Macaroni
- 1 lb (454 g) elbow macaroni
- Salt, for the water
Beef
- 1 tbsp (14 g) butter
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 large onion (200 g), finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp dried thyme or basil
Egg milk
- 4 large eggs
- 4 1/2 cups (1,098 g) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Topping
- 5 oz (142 g) Swiss or Emmental, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups), divided
- 1 red bell pepper (150 g), finely diced, or 1 tomato
- Ketchup or lingonberry jam, to serve
Equipment: Oven, 9x13-inch baking dish, Rimmed baking sheet, Large skillet, Instant-read thermometer, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Whisk
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Boil the macaroni in salted water 2 minutes less than the package says, then drain.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, then add the onion and cook 5 minutes more, until soft. Stir in the salt, pepper and thyme.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until no streaks remain, then whisk in the milk and salt.
- Tip the macaroni and beef into the dish with about two thirds of the cheese and stir to spread evenly. Pour the egg milk over; it should come almost to the top of the macaroni.
- Scatter the diced pepper and the rest of the cheese over the top. Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until the custard is set in the center (a knife comes out without liquid milk), the top is golden and the center reads 165°F.
- Rest 10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve with ketchup or lingonberry jam.
Adapted from Valio, "Liha-makaronilaatikko" (meat macaroni casserole), 6 servings in a 20 x 30 cm dish. We follow its method (macaroni boiled and drained; ground beef browned in butter with onion and seasonings; 3 eggs beaten into 1 liter of milk; macaroni, beef and some cheese mixed in the dish, the egg milk poured over, diced bell pepper or tomato and the rest of the cheese on top; 175°C, about 350°F, for 50 minutes; ketchup or lingonberries to serve). Our changes for a 9x13 serving 8: 1 lb macaroni instead of 400 g, 1 lb beef instead of 400 g, 4 eggs and 4 1/2 cups whole milk instead of 3 eggs and 1 liter of 3% milk, Swiss for Emmental. The 165°F check is ours. Estimated cost: about $14.32 for the pan, about $1.79 a serving. valio.fi. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (4)
Tips
- Meatless, the original way: leave out the beef and serve it as a side with stew or meatballs, as Valio's plain makaronilaatikko suggests.
- Make ahead: brown the beef and boil the macaroni, cool, and refrigerate them separately up to 24 hours (house rule); whisk the egg milk and assemble just before baking, adding 10 minutes. Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat squares to 165°F in a covered dish at 350°F or in the microwave; many Finns fry leftover squares in butter.
- Ground turkey or a mix of beef and pork both work; cook poultry to 165°F.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Makaronilaatikko was invented in Finland and has no equivalent abroad. Disputed: the flour miller Myllyn Paras says so (Finnish Wikipedia); English Wikipedia lists Swedish and Indonesian macaroni casseroles and calls it a northern European staple.
- It started as wedding food. Documented as Yle's account (2016): festive food until macaroni became cheap in the 20th century.
- Ketchup on top. Folklore: Yle says Finns argue about it; Valio offers ketchup or lingonberries.
- Real makaronilaatikko has meat. Disputed: Finnish Wikipedia says the first versions had none and the meat version came later; Valio still publishes both.
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