Chef notes
Decadent and creamy, this macaroni pie is like a souped up mac and cheese because it's flavored with garlic powder, onion and a little Dijon mustard. This dish from Trinidad is traditionally made with eggs but my mom helped me come up with an egg-free version since I have an allergy. Now everyone in my family enjoys this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 box elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup flour
- 5 cups whole or 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- 4 cups shedded sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation
1.Preheat oven 375 F.
2.Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. It should be a step before al dente as it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain and set aside.
3.In a large pot on medium heat, add olive oil, butter and cook onions for 3 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Stir continuously with a whisk to prevent the onions from getting brown.
4.Mix in the garlic and onion powders. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
5.Slowly add flour while whisking continuously until it's fully incorporated. Allow the roux to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. (This step is critical to ensuring the flour cooks to avoid a raw flour taste in sauce.)
6.Add 2 cups of milk and stir to combine. Then add the remaining 3 cups of milk. It's important to keep stirring with the whisk as the sauce starts to thicken since the dairy can easily burn.
7.Add Dijon mustard to the milk.
8.Once sauce no longer looks like runny milk and coats the back of a spoon, slowly add 3 cups of shredded cheese. Keep stirring with a whisk until all the cheese is melted. Then remove pot from heat.
9.Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and gently stir to coat each noodle.
10.Pour the entire cheesy pasta mixture into a baking dish greased with olive oil or butter.
11.Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the casserole dish.
12.Bake pie for 25 to 30 mins. The cheese on top should be golden brown.
13.Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
