Makaronilaatikko
A Finnish baked macaroni casserole of minced beef, onion, milk and egg, baked for 45 minutes and served with ketchup and lingonberries.
Photograph credit: Makaronilaatikko by Suvi Korhonen · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Hot, golden and comforting, this is the dish that Finnish children remember from school lunches and grandmothers' kitchens. Makaronilaatikko is a macaroni casserole with minced beef and onions, set in an egg and milk custard and baked until the top is browned and crisp at the edges. It is plain and filling, and it is served with ketchup and lingonberry jam.
Boil the macaroni for 3 minutes less than the packet says, so that it finishes cooking in the oven. Fry the onion in butter until soft, add the minced beef and brown for 10 minutes, then season with salt, pepper and a pinch of allspice. Mix the meat and macaroni together in the dish before adding the custard, so that the pasta is evenly spread. Whisk eggs with milk and pour over.
Bake at 200°C / 390°F for 45 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is browned. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. It is often cut into big portions and eaten with ketchup, pickled cucumbers and a spoon of lingonberry jam, which gives a sweet and sour contrast. Leftovers are good fried in butter the next day.
Makaronilaatikko: Step by Step
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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Boil the macaroni for 3 minutes less than the packet says. Drain.
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While the macaroni boils, fry the onion in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the beef and brown for 10 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper and allspice.
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Mix the beef and macaroni in a buttered 2 litre dish.
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Whisk the eggs and milk and pour over. Scatter with the breadcrumbs.
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Bake for 45 minutes until set and browned. Rest for 10 minutes and serve with the jam and ketchup.
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A Few Pointers
- Under cook the macaroni.
- Mix the meat and pasta before the custard.
- Rest before cutting.
Serve It With
Lingonberry jam · Ketchup · Pickled cucumbers
Storage
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freeze for 2 months.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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