Because it is party season and many of you like to make this baked macaroni dish (a real crowd-pleaser, no doubt), I am updating this 2006 recipe with a few revisions and to include some step-by-step photos for making this cream cheese topping which is really what sets this baked macaroni apart from the rest.
Of course, it makes a lot of difference too if you start with a good sauce with which to toss the pasta before pouring on the topping. As a rule, when preparing a tomato-based meat sauce for pasta, I combine ground beef with something smoky like smoked belly bacon, salami, pepperoni or ham. It’s also good to throw in slices of fresh mushrooms. And, of course, the natural thickener for the sauce–lots of chopped onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.
Ingredients
- 225 g. of macaroni (you can use penne or ziti as well)
3 tbsps. of butter
3 tbsps. of olive oil
1/4 kg. of ground beef (sirloin, if you want minimal fat)
1/4 kg. of smoked ham or bacon, or salami or pepperoni (sliced as thinly as you can)
1/4 kg. of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 kg. of tomatoes, chopped
1/4 kg. of onions, chopped
4-5 green or red bell peppers (or 6-8 pimientoes), cored and chopped
1 whole garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 c. of good meat broth
a bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped, or about a teasponful of dried basil leaves
3 sprigs of fresh oregano, stripped, or 1 tsp. if dried oregano leaves
salt
pepper
sugarFor the topping :
1/3 c. of butter
1/3 c. of flour
about 3 c. of milk
half of a 225 g. block ofquickmelt (processed)sharp cheddar cheese, grated
half of a 225 g. block of cream cheese (thanks to reader Rowena for this tip), softened then cut into small pieces
salt
pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, undercooking by about 5 minutes. This will allow the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing the flavors. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat in a sauce pan. Add the ground beef, breaking up the lumps. Add the garlic and cook until the meat starts to brown. Add the ham, bacon, salami or pepperoni. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add all the chopped vegetables and herbs. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften. Pour in the meat broth. Season with salt, pepper and some sugar. The sugar will neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, prepare the cream-cheese topping.
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
When frothy, add the flour all at once, stirring. Let the flour cook for about 5 minutes to remove any floury taste in the cooked topping.
Usually, the flour is cooked when the mixture starts to turn golden brown.
Pour in the milk slowly, again, stirring as you pour. By the time all the milk has been incorporated into the mixture, it will appear to be a little thin.
Don’t worry, the cheeses will thicken them to the required consistency.
Add the cheeses.
Set the heat to low and let the cheeses melt, stirring the mixture occasionally.
Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Now, back to the meat sauce. When the sauce is done, add the cooked pasta and toss well. Let the mixture cook over low heat with an occasional stirring. This should allow the pasta to finish cooking. Usually, this step takes about 5-6 minutes.
Pour the pasta and sauce into a baking dish. Make sure that the dish is large enough so that the mixture is an inch below the rim. You will still be adding the topping. Everything will simmer and bubble during baking and you don’t want the sauce and topping falling onto the oven floor.
Pour the topping onto the pasta mixture, spreading to seal the edges. If you don’t seal the edges, the exposed pasta will dry up during baking.
Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. How brown depends on you. A well-browned topping is more aromatic and attractive but, if there are leftovers, the topping does have a tendency to get overbrowned during reheating.
Let the baked macaroni rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with garlic sticks or buttered toast.
Quick Notes
See readers’ versions of my baked macaroni here and here.
See photos from the many times I have made this baked macaroni for various occasions here, here and here.
Cooking time (duration):about an hour
Number of servings (yield): 4 to 6
Meal type: lunch
Yes, you can use spaghetti, If you won’t bake it, you can just stir the cream in the tomato sauce. No need to make the white sauce.
Hi Ms. Connie! Can i use oven toseter for this one?
If you read through the comments, that’s been asked and answered already.
Thanks so much for the reply, Ms Connie
I will update you as soon as Im done with it. Hopefully it will be a success
hello connie!! i’m here in taiwan (ofw) and we only have maicrowave oven in our kitchen. can i use that?
i really missed bakedmac!! also, Taiwan doesn’t seem to have many varieties of cheese,… what should i do? only cheddar cheese..huhu.. have tips? tnx a lot!!!
I don’t think the topping will brown in a microwave oven, Jen.
sorry po.. dami n pala questions abt microwave..
i was 2 excited 2 ask kc before reading all the posts.. but even if it doesn’t make the bakedmac brown in the microwave, will it have any difference in the taste? or the thickness ng toppings? no choice po kc,microwave lng tlg pede q magamit. salamat ulit!!
Re “will it have any difference in the taste…”
Can’t answer that because I’ve never cooked baked mac in a microwave.
Hi Miss Connie!
I simply love your site. I have always been a foodie on both ends although I must say, I love to eat more than to cook. I stumbled upon your site while looking for a decent recipe for polvoron and viola! I have been an avid fan eversince! I have just tried out this baked mac recipe and my family loved it! We always do the generic grated cheese topping. This was a really good change. More power!
Oh, and have you released a cookbook yet? I’ll be sure to get me one of those!
Joee, there’s a Tastebook but I’m coming out with something better this year. Hopefully.
sounds pretty hard with so many ingredients, but i’ll try it myself i love baked macaroni. thanks a lot
Hi again Ms Connie! I am so thrilled to hear about this Tastebook of yours. Tomorrow, I’ll try to check it out at Powerbooks. Or is it available at National Book Store? Anyways, I’ll check at both stores tomorrow. And I’ll be waiting for the new one this year. Oh, and I love the fish and chips recipe! Best wishes!
Oh, sorry, it’s only available online. It’s a print-on-demand book that can be ordered on Tastebook.
Hi, if I want to make it 1 kilo of macaroni, shall I just have the ingredients increased 4x?
That’s a safe guide.
ano po ung good meat broth?
san ko po mabibili un sa us?
Recipe for home made broth.
Tried this recipe and it’s sooooooo good. It’s also good the next day and straight out of the fridge. The creamy cheesy topping makes it. Thank you for this recipe. To the other Lynn in US, beef broth is available in any supermarket, either canned or boxed, go to the soup aisle and take your pick from different brands.
thanks god i found you………i will try this recipe on week end..my daughter loves my bake mac..but im tryng to try something more yummy.
i’ll try this later give you feedback if nagustuhan ng kapatid ko
Hi Connie,
How do you get the recipe for baked mac?
Thanks
Please refer to the “PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING A COMMENT” right before the “Submit Comment” button.
Hi Ms. Connie,
I always visit your site. You are a fantastic cook! Anyway, for your baked mac recipe, I bought a half kilo of pasta and your recipe is 255g only. Should I double the amount of it? Like for example for 1/4kg of ground beef, salami etc? should I make it half kilo?thanks in advance!
The meat, yes, double them. But the rest, not necessarily. Like topping. Your mac will fit in a deeper dish that won’t require double the amount of the topping, for instance.
Thank you po for answering my question.
God Bless!
Hi Ms. Connie! I tried your baked mac kagabi and it was perfect! Woohoo!!!!!! Well, my topping needed more flour and had bits of unmelted cream cheese but this is my 2nd time to bake (my first was your cheesecake and it was perfect talaga!) and 1st time to attempt baked macaroni.
I started preparing in the middle of TV Patrol World and finished chopping all the ingredients nagstart na ang Only You. May kasamang nood pa kse kaya natagalan. Still haven’t mastered cooking while chopping or preparing ingredients kse tried and tested ko nang sunugin ang mga niluluto kapag pinagsasabay ko esp if trying a new recipe. Hehehe. Medyo di perfect ang topping ko pero since the sauce was already great, di na nanotice ng mga spaghetti monsters kong pinsan!
I used just a little bit of the pasta and the toppings to fill 6 very small oven-proof round ramekin-like dishes, then I put the rest sa fridge. I made it this way coz our oven drowned when typhoon Frank hit Iloilo last year and hasn’t been fixed or replaced yet. I wanted to try bake it using our small oven toaster. If ever I don’t get it right, di sayang lahat. So, when I saw my little babies bubbling away, I was sooooo excited and relieved. My experiment”?s gonna be edible! I turned the timer til I couldnt turn no more (about 15 minutes) and made the topping golden brown in color. Some were a little orange in color maybe bcoz my topping wasn”?t thick enough and my pasta was a bit saucy. 
I should have left the pasta alone for a few more minutes so it could absorb more of the sauce. I asked my cousins if it was okay but they just shrugged. Paolo finished 2 mini servings and said “Wala na?”After finishing 2 also, Anton said he didn”?t want to sleep na mabigat ang tiyan so tomorrow nalang daw ulit. So I guess they liked it noh?
Yep, it’s best to let the baked mac sit and rest for a while so that they don’t slide all over when serving. But in my house, it’s just like yours — people can’t wait hehehe
Thanks so much Ms. Connie for your wonderful, easy to follow recipes. Sorry for a very long “comment”. Can I still add more flour to my leftover topping? I”?m planning on cooking flour in butter again and then slowly add the previous topping I made. Tama po ba?
For those who do not have an oven, pwedeng pwede ang oven toaster. If my experiment didn”?t turn out well, my next option would be to go to my other Tita”?s house and use her oven. But since it did, I”?ll just visit my Tita if I need to use a bigger container.
Make a fresh batch of topping, kahit half the amount only. When done, stir in the leftover.
ok..thank you very much!
Thanks again Ms. Connie for the recipes and for taking time to answer questions of your makulit readers aka me. Thanks for sharing so that we could also share the good stuff to our friends and family. We owe all our pogi and ganda points to you.
PS. This is how I really wanted to thank you but was in a hurry to do what you have suggested para makaabot ng lunch.
Pogi and ganda points? HAHAHAHA I love that!
hi miss connie! what milk do you use? evap or whole milk?
Generally, I use skim milk.
Hi Ms Connie! My husband has been requesting me to bake lasagna for him. I have tried one recipe my sister gave me which she got in one cooking class she attended in Mandaluyong but it didn’t turn out good, too oily for us. I have tried to search your site but couldn’t find one. Lasagna was just mentioned in some of your entries but not really as an article. Please, please, if you have time can you make an entry on lasagna with the step by step photos if it is not too much to ask. Thank you po!
Try the chicken, ham, mushrooms and sour cream lasagne.
thank you, I will try this recipe. Also, I will patiently wait for your classic lasagne recipe, your style
(hubby craves for the lasagna with ground beef po kasi e)
Hi Ms Connie,
Phew!Been opening your website for 2 days, and it was down. Was so worried that I can’t find this recipe again. Really glad your website is now working.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried this last month, and it was a hit! My first attempt to cook pasta. Yum-yum! Will cook this again this coming weekend. Can’t wait for my other friends to taste it. Thank you again!
ms. connie,
does using ground pork instead of beef will make a difference? frozen pork here has minimal fat. i don’t cook or use ground beef anymore simula ng makatikim ang asawa ko ng malansang giniling na karne na ginamit sa spaghetti ng isang kakilala namin.
thank u.
HI ms Connie! jsut finished chopping all the veggies for this dish, whew! hehe. i have half a kilo of pasta and so i thought i need to double everything so i chopped 1/2 kg of tomatoes and the other veggies. as for the bacon, i mistakenly bought regular bacon instead of smoked bacon. i hope it will still turn out okay. i dont have energy anymore for tonight so i’ll just cook the dish tomorrow. will let you know how it turns out. naku sana masarap pa rin
Regular bacon will work. What I really don’t recommend for the sauce is honeycured bacon.
ive been using this recipe of urs as my recipe for bake mac my famly here in cali loves it. thanks so much.i just did it again today its in the oven right now.we have a bday party goin on.im just 20..anyway thanks so much xoxo oh and 1 question its just today that i doubled all ur ingredients for increase servings.i figured that the cheeses tends to be burned or sumthin how can i avoid that? i use philedelphia cream cheese and the velveeta ones.its still in the oven so i dont know if its gonna taste good.im seeing like small chunks of burnt cheese in my topping will im cookin it. huhu:((
Unless the dark spots are actually black, they not burnt — the dark spots means the topping is toasted which really gives it texture.
hi ms. connie thankyou it turned out great! ur a blesing ^^
hi ms. connie,
We’ll be having a party this Saturday and I’m so excited to cook this recipe for baked macaroni! I just have few questions about it:
1. the guest will be around 30 people, should i just multiply everything? you said that its good for 4-6 people then i can multiply the measurements by 5? right?
2. what kind of tomatoes are you using? is it the ones we can just buy from the market? or can we just use a ready made sauce??
hope to see your reply as soon as possible.. thank you!!!!
A party means there will be other dishes aside from the baked macaroni. So, the consumption will not be the same.
I don’t recommend ready-made sauces. Fresh tomatoes or even canned stewed tomatoes are the better choices.
Hi, Connie. I’m so excited to have found your website. Can’t you tell, this is my 2nd question for the day? I apologize but I’m a frustrated cook so expect more queries coming = )
Can I make the pasta with meat sauce the night before and do the cheese topping & bake it the ff day?
Thanks,
Kay
Yes.
I would want to try this. I haven’t done this before. I am not interested when ingredients are hard to fine and very complicated, but this recipe looked easy. I don’t cook that much but hope I can make it. Btw, as for the meat broth, can I use broth cubes instead?
hard to find, not hard to fine.. sorry…
hi connie!
been an active lurker of your food blog
wana try this recipe for noche buena. can i do this using microwave oven? how should i go abt it?
The topping will not brown in a microwave.
Merry Christmas sassy! Your Baked Macaroni is one of our handa tonight. Thanks for the recipe
Hi Ms Connie,
can I use Cottage cheese instead? yun lang kasi available na parang quickmelt. so hard to find quick melt cheese here in Oz. Happy Holidays
Actually, you can use just about any kind of cheese so long as it melts into the sauce.
Happy Newyear!!!
I just tried this yesterday and It was beautiful! I finally found the perfect baked mac recipe that I’ve been searching! Thanks Ms Connie!!!
Hello Miss.Connie
A quick question,What Butter i am going to use salted or unsalted? Would Anchor will be fine?.Sorry for this question.I want to make this recipe for my Husband Birthday nextweek.
I hope I can get the right consistency,it would be my first time making this.
Thank you.God Bless!
It doesn’t matter. If you use salted, you just reduce the amount of salt you add later.
Miss Connie,
May isa pang akong question,where I can find the recipe of homemade broth tried looking on this,Im sorry I can’t find it.
It’s under the “how to cook” category. The link is on the left side of the page.
hi connie,i’d like to try this but we don’t have quickmelt cheese or velveeta here in uk.any suggestions?can i use laughing cow cheese triangles together with philadelphia cheese?please help!thanks!
Any cheese, so long as it melts well.
i cannot find d recipe.. where do i click it?
Did you read the text right above the submit button?
Hi Miss Connie,
I just need to let you know that I have oftentimes done the way you make the bake mac and its always been a hit! I’ll never get tired trying all your recipes. Thank you so much!
Hi Connie,just made your baked mac but the sauce turn out to be liquid eventhough I was finishing cooking the pasta there.Here in Germany where I currently live they sell fixes(powder) for baking pasta and they always advised put uncooked pasta on a baking dish and pour the cooked sauce to it and top it with cheese and bake for 20-30min.It’s easy!What if i try it next time to cook the pasta totally on the sauce,would it work?But it’s delicious and i made it myself without fixes and bec. of your help.My husband love it too.Thanks!!!
“eventhough I was finishing cooking the pasta there”
I don’t understand.
If the sauce is thin, I suggest simmering the sauce uncovered during the last 10 minutes of cooking to thicken it.
As you said,I was undercooking the pasta for 5 min. and finishing cooking it on the sauce but still too watery.Maybe,simmering it uncovered would be the solution.Thanks for the time and want to try still some of your recipe.Gud day!!!
You don’t need to cook the pasta in the sauce. The pasta absorbs much of the liquid during baking.
Hi Ms Connie!
I will cook this for tonight for hubby and mom-in-law…
I’m (so
)worried , hindi b soggy if i have to precook the pasta for 3mins plus 20-25 mins on the oven with the sauce plus 10 mins before cutting ?
My hubby don’t like soggy pasta , a little beyond al dente will do ..
I really want to impress him after my many palpak baking attempts lol
thanks!
Undercook the pasta. It won’t cook too much after that in the oven because 20-25 minutes are just enough to reheat all the contents of the tray and browning the top.
Dear Ms Connie,
It is almost midnight here but I really want to share the result of baked macaroni we had this night ..
You see, my husband is french , and he is quite good in the kitchen . It frustrates me not to be the one working and manipulating the kitchen since I am the girl. I was not initiated in any cooking in my life.My mother never wants anyone to touch anything in the kitchen except the helpers .. And so , when I got married , I know , this will be my handicap. I always remember what my grandmother’s (spanish and a very very good cook ) advice , THE WAY TO A MAN’S HEART IS THRU HIS STOMACH ^_^
I was a little stressed out while cooking and re-reading every sentence of this recipe. Making sure not to miss a detail lol. But everything paid off. My husband was kinda little shock lol. He said I should make this dish again ! And so as the praises from my mom-in-law. It feels like heaven ! haha
Thank you … thru this blog , you really build my confidence . I hope 1 day , I can be a good cook like you …
More Power!
Reading your comment made me smile — my first smile for the day.
hi ms.connie,
i’m so thankful to have found your website while browsing for the ingredients for bake macaroni.actually i’m just about to try baking and would like to buy a gas range anyways can i ask you what brand of gas range is the best?is la germania ok?thanks a lot.
La Germania is fine. I used my La Germania for over ten years. Right now, though, I use Ariston and Elba.
thanks a lot ms.connie!you’re such a generous cook.you make a lot of people happy by sharing your experiences on cooking.i’m making your blog an everyday habit.thanks a lot.i really do appreciate it.you inspire me to cook and experiment.more power and Godbless you and your family!!!
hi miss connie. this recipe was so yummy. I tried this last night and gave as a gift to my australian friend who celebrated her bday.nagustuhan nila. I used penne pasta. gumawa din ako para sa mga anak ko na naiwan lang sa bahay at super gusto nila yung white sauce topping. may left over pa and i was surprized na yun din ang kinain nila for breakfast. I just reheated it in the microwave. I used the bottled cheddar cheese spread and it still tasted so yummy.. i just wanna ask, i’m planning to cook this again next week, would it be alright if i use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste? at babawasan ko na lang ang broth? thank you and more power to u..
This is an old entry and I really ought to update it.
Instead of tomato paste or tomato sauce, use whole peeled or diced tomatoes in cans. So much more flavorful and the texture is better too.
hi…
i really want to cook this one but i have troubles with some ingredients…. I even read almost all of the comment before asking…. LoL…. i dont want you to be annoyed by us or you will not share your good recipes to us
i just want to know if you have any idea now how big is the dish that you use and how high it is because i have a pyrex and it is 8x6x2 inches… so i dont know if ill just make half of our recipe as i know ou make 4 yields for your cooking… its just me and my boyfriend so good for 2 persons is just perfect,,, pls help! :0
second I am really confused with the CHEESE thing.. we always buy here in new zealand i think is the ordinary cheese… its big 1 kilo block and it could be MILD, COLBY, MAIN,,, so i dont know if i can use those or i need to use those cheeses in triangle shapes and i think wrap in foils? sorry im so bad at this because i never cooked before… and lastly miss connie the MILK… we have here the FRESH milk or its says on the label STANDARDISED PASTEURIZED MILK… is that the milk that i can use???? thanks a lot really… im craving for baked mac really….
thanks in advance… and just to tell you as well i am addicted to your site… and i always have a kodigo when cooking… hoping to be as good as you one day!!!! thanks!
That’s a 9×13 pan and the yield is good for 4 to 6 persons.
You can use any cheese that melts well.
Milk means whole milk although skim milk is good too.
hi
i did it! it was my bf’s new fav now he said and the pasta sauce,,, oh my oh my… it was delicious… the only problem i had is the topping.. it did not set like what you have on the picture so when i cut it the topping is like soggy… i want to acquire like yours in the photo.. is that why you need to let it sit for 10mins? because i just let it sit for 5mins and cut it. or is my cheese cream sauce not as thick as what you did? because ill be cooking it again to impress my in-laws,,, thanks really.. it was a good meal… goodluck n more power,,,
You have to cool it before serving. The topping sets and firms up as it cools.
hi miss connie! this is a long overdue thank you note. your website is my favorite site to visit when i am in need to find filipino recipes. i tried this recipe last night and had it for baon sa lunch today. it was really good! i especially loved the creamy cheese. keep posting!
Hi Ms. Connie. This recipe is truly a keeper. I used regular bacon for the smoked meat part and though the end product was incredibly tasty it was a bit on the oily side. I suspect it was from the bacon fat which rendered out. Do you suggest I remove the excess fat that comes out after adding the bacon or would it diminish the flavor of the dish? Also, I read from the other previous comments to add more flour to thicken the cheese sauce to the right consistency. Would it be ok to add the extra flour after completing all the cheese sauce steps (meaning after adding the velveeta and cream cheese) to get it to the right consistency or would it taste like uncooked flour? Thanks!
hi ms. connie! is it ok if i don’t use basil leaves? or is there any substitute?
You can omit it. But you’ll lose so much flavor and aroma.
i might make this bake mac,i wanna try this sem break cause i dont have a time to cook right now looks delicious,and i will use the velveeta cheese cause its tastier than the local cheese….thank you for the site….
what other bake foods i can cook in microwave?please’
can you give me a recipe about home made bake macaroni thats cheaper in price .. or any kind of pasta .. thats fits to filipino taste..
thank you ms connie for always acknowledging my suggestion regarding the addition of cream cheese in the white sauce of the bake macaroni. I also want to thank you for sharing all your recipe with us. Now we are on the holiday season again, I will looking forward to our holiday recipe…
Thank you, Rowena. The cream cheese does wonders for the texture and flavor of the topping.
Connie,my new version….
Roast the bell pepper,strips of eggplant and about 8 cherry tomatoes
before adding it on the pan of pasta.
Very flavorful…and the aroma…oh,lalala.
Thanks again for the recipe.
how much tomato paste did you put into the sauce?
None.
Hi Connie!
Sa recipe pa lang ang sarap na.I!ll bake it as soon as possible para may bago akong version ng bake macaroni,
hi connie,
have you changed your measurements & ingredients? the 1st recipe i copied includes 1/2 cup tomato paste but this time, no more tomato paste.In this recipe, are tomatoes canned or fresh? is it really 1 kg? For the topping- is it 1/3 tbsp for flour? Your previous recipe is 3 tbsp flour.
can you also feature how to make pizza pie? thanks a lot.
Yep, I no longer use tomato paste. It’s now fresh tomatoes or canned whole tomatoes.
The amount of flour is always proportional to the amount of butter. There was less butter in the old recipe.
Re “pizza pie”. Search the archive. It’s there.
hello,gud evening…just finish cooking your baked mac…it is a success!! my 2sons just love it..!! sbi nga ng bunso ko, para daw gawa ng 5star hotel..hehehe..thank you so much ms. connie for this recipe,hindi ko pa rin na perfect ksi hindi pareho ng consistency ng sa yo yung topping ko,,but it is just so delicious na pati ako humaanga sa recipe..thank you again!!
ms connie, i wana try this recipe but my BIG problem is that I dnt have a gas range to bake, can u pls give some advice or alternative not to bake it????thaNKS..
GOD BLESS
Just wondering if there is a mistake on the recipe where the amount of flour should be the same as that of the butter for cooking a roux. If so, the current recipe is showing 1/3 tablespoons of flour only where it should be 1/3 cup of flour??
Oh, wow. Silly me. Let me correct that. Thanks.
Hi Connie,
Do I have to use a Pyrex baking dish or can I use an aluminum tray?
Any overproof baking dish.
Can I substitute chicken for the ground beef?
Try and find out.
love the recipe, it is perfect, my fiance is from angeles city, pampanga and i lived with him for a year there, we both missed Toll House baked mac, and this was the closest we could find to it!! thanks!! it was excellent..
i found that philadelphia cream cheese works the best and to use a whisk instead of a spoon, makes the sauce so smooth! excellent receipe!1
thanks again
Miss Connie, when you cook the tomatoes for the pasta sauce, is that with seeds and skins and all?
Yes, I just chop them.
hi connie!
the 1k of tomatoes in the recipe, are these fresh tomatoes? what if i use the peeled or whole tomatoes in can, do i still need the cup of broth? thanks a lot.
Probably not anymore.
pde bng s stremer iluto instead s oven?kc wla kng oven
A steamer is for steaming, not baking. This is a baked dish.
hi, can i use turbo broiler instead of oven? don’t have oven
A turbo broiler is a small convection oven.
Ic. thanks.. can i also use oven toaster for this recipe?
No.
Hello Ms. Connie,
I Love this recipe. Am thingking on trying this one, However can i use turbo for this? since we don’t have oven at home,
Yes.
Ever since i got this recipe two years ago, i always have second thoughts when eating/ordering baked mac in some restaurants already. I simply can’t forget the heavenly taste of this masterpiece.
Excellent, I could even make slight variations, but not away from the original recipe. I’ve impressed a lot of friends & (strangers).
That is good to know. Thank you.
Hi! Ms. Connie, i really love your site..Actually, i almost spend my whole day just writing and reading some of your recipes, and it helps me a lot to prepare delicious food for my hubby as well as to my relatives and friends..By next week i have two recipes to try, the Egg Noodles with Pork & Mushrooms and Pasta Primivera with Fresh Tuna, so excited to cook!
Thanks a lot Ms. Connie
God Bless!
If you have a printer, there’s a “Print this post” link at the bottom of every recipe.
I’ve always been si afraid to deviate from the usual pasta sauce i grew up with- the one made using ready made spag sauce and ketchup. I view this recipe several times but quite hesitant to pursue until this week end when i finally decided to give it a try. OMG! It was worth a try. I dont think I will ever go back using the old recipe. Thank u so much for this wonderful creation:)
Two thumbs up for you.
I made this last Friday and it was delicious!
I just made too much pasta and too little sauce.. But now I know better. Hehehe.
Thanks, Miss Connie!
I am planning to make the baked mac tomorrow and I was going over your ingredients. I couldn’t find tomato paste in the ingredients but you mentioned it in your procedure. How much tomato paste should I use? I read in one of your comment threads that canned tomatoes can be used in place of tomato paste or fresh tomatoes?
I found the answer in your November 27, 2010 comment thread re your deletion of tomato paste in the recipe and use whole tomatoes instead< but the tomato paste is still mentioned in the procedure.
It says right in the first paragraph that this is an updated version of a 2006 recipe. You’re reading comments posted before the update and may no longer be relevant.
Re: tomato paste. I’ve made the correction.
Hi Ms Connie, I’m just wondering, since you edited the quickmelt cheese, sharp cheddar cheese is better to use then? Does it usually say in the box if the cheddar cheese is ‘sharp’? I’m planning to do this for my mom’s 50th birthday. Thanks!
Yes cheddar is better. Cheddar is either mild, medium, sharp, mature… Good brands specify what kind if cheddar is in the package.
hi ms connie… i’m planning to try ur recipe but I don’t have a real oven at home… can I use microwave oven instead? tnx and more power!
That question has been asked and answered so many times in this thread.
Hi all, I just finished cooking this using microwave oven and turned out great! I know it has been said few times that microwave won’t make it great but it did. I happen to buy all ingredients before realizing I do not have an oven lol..so no choice I still had to cook it but this time using microwave. for pic of my baked mac pls see link below.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6192/6132519373_3f65e2d6c1.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6133065228_3a9cea6031.jpg
thanks!!
The top didn’t brown but so long as you’re happy with the result, that’s great!
hi ms. connie,
so much love your site..
just like to ask if magnolia cheddar cheese, easily melts??..pde po ba yung sa baked mac…thanks so much po..
God Bless po!
I’m not familiar with “magnolia cheddar cheese.” Quickmelt is okay.
ok..thanks Ms. Connie : )
gus2 ko i try pwd ko bang gawin sa oven toaster?
That’s been asked and answered in this discussion thread, Grace.
I was searching for a baked mac recipe. I actually knew how, but I have this strange feeling of making my dish unique. And when I finally bumped into this post, I knew how cream cheese makes any dish better! Thank you for sharing this! And I’ll be cooking tomorrow, I will be updating you of the outcome! thanks for helping us – wanna-be cooks- satisfy our desires… God Bless!
I made this last Sunday for my brother’s birthday… super sarap!!! everyone said it was the most delicious baked macaroni they ever tasted! thanks soooo much!
I made this last Sunday for my brother’s birthday… super sarap!!! Thanks Ms Connie
everyone said it was the best baked macaroni they ever had!!!!!
I have tried cooking this dish and it is really worth the effort. Now I am planning to have this as one of the main meals for Hubby’s birthday this weekend, and now I am thinking that the 1kg recipe will not be enough for the family on his birthday and the re-heating episodes the following days…Dishes like this even if re-heated after 2-3days tastes better…yumyum!!
Thanks Ms. Connie for sharing!
Hi, Miss Connie! I cannot find any block of cream cheese here in UAE. What they mostly have here is the cream cheese spread? Can I use that? Thanks a lot.
You can try.
hello ms. connie, just would like to ask what can i use as substitute for the cream cheese? thank u
Mascarpone but that’s more expensive.
Hi connie. I’m new at your site and I’m loving it.Just a question, for the beef broth- do you make your own or do you use a canned broth? If you make your own, I’d appreciate a recipe. If you use a canned, where can you buy?
Crissy, I make my own. Click here for guide for making home made broth.
hi ms connie thanks for the recipe i made it just awhile ago.. i substituted the flour and milk with all purpose flour and it turned out just fine.. im just wondering if i could bake it tomorrow since bukas pa naman namin kakainin.. d po ba masisira pls reply thanks..
Ms. Connie, is your recipe book available already? I’d like to have a copy. Where can i buy it?
On Tastebook. But I’m in the midst of updating it.
hi ms. Connie we bought an oven, and this baked mac is my first project…it was a success..thanks for the recipe,its delicious…