• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Riverten Kitchen
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • FILIPINO
  • ASIAN
  • PASTA
  • BREAD
  • SUBSCRIBE
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • RECIPES
  • FILIPINO
  • ASIAN
  • PASTA
  • BREAD
  • SUBSCRIBE
×

Home > Recipes > Pasta

Cheesy Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce

Published: Dec 12, 2019 • Updated: Mar 2, 2022 by: Mella • 10 Comments

Jump to Recipe • Jump to Video

Cheesy Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce! It's the easiest macaroni casserole you'll ever make. The pasta and the meat sauce are cooked in one pot then baked with creamy cheese sauce on top. So EASY, so good!

Cheesy Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce Casserole

Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce

A picky eater's favorite, grown-up's comfort food.

My sweet toddler (bless her Asian taste buds), often conducts rice strikes.  The only thing she'll eat is pasta. It doesn't matter what kind, whether it's with a red sauce or white sauce, just as long it's pasta. And so, I thought that it was about time I introduce her to one of my childhood comfort birthday food, Baked Macaroni.

Baked Macaroni that not only has cheese sauce but also meat sauce. A cross between Baked Ziti and Lasagana, only easier to make.

A pot of Macaroni cooked in marinara sauce with meat

Quick and Easy Macaroni and Meat Sauce

Cooking the meat sauce and macaroni pasta in one pot is the real time-saver in this recipe. I mean who wants to wash two big pots on a busy night right?

  • Start off by chopping the garlic, onions and red bell pepper. Saute in warm oil until fragrant and translucent.
  • Add the ground meat, cook until it's brown and no longer pink. I use pork and beef in this recipe. You can use just one type or both. Ground chicken is also a good option. Entirely up to you.
  • Season with fish sauce. A not so secret ingredient. It's like a magic potion that makes almost any dish tastier. If you've been a regular in blog, you probably have noticed it in almost all my recipes. I can't seem to live errr cook without it. Suffice to say.
  • Add your favorite jarred pasta sauce. Another great time-saver for busy home cooks. Simmer with the meat, bell peppers and tomato paste for a few minutes.
  • Stir in the pasta and meat broth (beef or chicken broth) and cook for 6 MINUTES ONLY. Anything more than that will end up with a soggy pasta after baking in the oven. So it's best to use a timer.

How to make the Cheese Sauce Topping

The cheese sauce in this recipe is so easy to make using simple ingredients.

  • flour
  • butter
  • cheese
  • whole milk
  • salt and pepper

To get the right consistency, just remember to have the same amount of fat i.e. butter and flour with the right amount of liquid.

So for 2 tablespoons of flour and butter, the amount of milk should be 1 cup to 1 ¼ cup. Anything less than one cup would create a very thick sauce and anything more would make a runny sauce.

Stir. Stir Stir. Making a good glossy cheese sauce requires a lot of stirring.

Melt the butter completely then add the flour. Cook for a minute then stir in the milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Lower the heat then add the grated cheese. Stir until completely melted.

Season with salt and pepper. Seasoning the cheese sauce is sometimes overlooked. Adding a little bit of salt and pepper makes a tastier sauce.

ingredients of cheese sauce

Finally, assemble in an oven-proof baking dish. Make two layers. Spread a thin layer of cheese sauce on the first layer and spread the rest on the top layer. Sprinkle more mozzarella cheese on top (optional of course). Yum! Yum! (Salivating as I am writing this).

If your pot is oven-safe, you can spread the cheese sauce directly on top of the pasta then bake right away. Another time-saver! I realized this while I was editing the video so I'll probably do that next time.

Filipino Baked Macaroni Tomato Meat Sauce

Serve right away on its own or with toasted garlic bread.

More pasta recipes...

  1. Shrimp Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce
  2. Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
  3. Minced Beef Sopas-Filipino Style Macaroni Beef Soup
  4. Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Mushroom
  5. Sardines Pasta
  6. Mushroom Pasta (made with canned soup)
  7. One Pot Beef Pasta with Hot Dog

Watch the video on how to make Cheesy Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce

Try these recipes next...

  • Instant Pot Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy
  • Mocha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting (the best!)
  • Ground Beef Casserole with Hot Dogs (One Pot!)
  • Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs (Crispy!)

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Macaroni Pasta Meat Sauce

Cheesy Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce

Cheesy Baked Macaroni with slightly sweet Meat Sauce! It’s the easiest macaroni casserole you’ll ever make. The pasta and the meat sauce are cooked in one-pot and baked together with creamy cheese sauce on top.
prep 10 mins
cook 15 mins
5 from 2 votes
author: Mella
Servings 6 servings
tap to scale
PRINT RECIPE
Rate this Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 
Cups - Metric

Pasta and Meat Sauce

  • cooking oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 onion (minced)
  • 1 pound ground meat, I used beef and pork (see note 1)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
  • 1 red bell pepper (minced)
  • 26 oz pasta sauce (use your favorite)
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 12 oz / 4 cups elbow macaroni or any dry short pasta
  • 3 cups beef broth (see note 2)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Cheese Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar, add more if needed)
  • pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
  • dried or fresh parsley (to garnish, optional)

Instructions

Cheese Sauce

  • Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Set heat to low. Slowly pour the milk. Stir until you get a smooth sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the grated cheese, stir until just melted. Sprinkle salt and ground black pepper. If the sauce becomes too thick add a little bit more milk, about 2 tablespoons until you get the right consistency. Turn off heat and continue stirring. Set aside.

Pasta and Meat Sauce

  • Preheat oven to 350F / 180C.
  • Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Stir-fry garlic and onions until soft and translucent. Add ground meat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until no longer pink. Stir in fish sauce and red bell pepper. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
  • Pour pasta sauce, tomato paste, and sugar. Stir until well combined. Simmer for five minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add macaroni and pour meat broth. Cover with lid and let it boil for 6 minutes only. Turn off heat. Season with black pepper and salt. Lightly stir.
  • Assemble in a baking dish in two layers. Spread a thin layer of cheese sauce on the first layer and spread the rest on the top layer (see video). Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Recipe Notes and Tips:

  1. Meat: I use pork and beef in this recipe. You can use just one type or both. Ground chicken or turkey are good alternatives.
  2. Beef broth substitute - dissolve 1 pc beef bouillon in 3 cups hot water
  3. Cooking the pasta: Cook the pasta in the meat sauce for 6 MINUTES ONLY. Anything more than that will end up with a soggy pasta after baking in the oven. I recommend using a timer.
  4. If your pot is oven-safe, you can spread the cheese sauce directly on top of the pasta then bake right away. Another time-saver!
  5. Other types of cheese you can use for the sauce: parmesan, Colby, Monterey, edam, Velveeta. Top with mozzarella for ooey-gooey texture. Entirely optional!
Cheese Sauce
  • To get the right consistency, just remember to have the same amount of fat i.e. butter and flour with the right amount of liquid. So for 2 tablespoons of flour and butter, the minimum amount of milk should be 1 cup up to 1 ¼ cup. Anything less than one cup would create a very thick sauce and anything more would make a runny sauce.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Seasoning the cheese sauce is sometimes overlooked. Adding a little bit of salt and pepper makes a tastier sauce.
Jump to Video
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : Filipino
Keyword : baked pasta, cheesy baked pasta with spaghetti sauce
Nutrition Facts
Cheesy Baked Macaroni with Meat Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
576
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
37
g
57
%
Saturated Fat
 
15
g
94
%
Cholesterol
 
105
mg
35
%
Sodium
 
1163
mg
51
%
Potassium
 
1070
mg
31
%
Carbohydrates
 
30
g
10
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
11
g
12
%
Protein
 
30
g
60
%
Vitamin A
 
1524
IU
30
%
Vitamin C
 
36
mg
44
%
Calcium
 
233
mg
23
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag @rivertenkitchen or leave a comment below!
Riverten Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

You might like these too

  • Creamy Garlic Pasta with Bacon and Mushroom (One Pot!)
  • Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
  • Pasta with Canned Tuna in Oil (20 mins)
  • Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese
1.9K shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Imelda says

    May 28, 2022 at 7:33 pm

    Thank you for being on the web. I try to avoid panlasang pinoy, foxy folksy & kawaling pinoy and help smaller bloggers like you to grow. This recipe is a keeper and am going to make it tonight. Good luck!

    Reply
  2. Karman Foods says

    November 23, 2021 at 12:59 am

    5 stars
    It's my family's most favorite pasta recipe. The kids and kids at heart loved it. So creamy! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I used San-J Tamari Soy Sauce instead of fish sauce. It's perfect! Best paired with their favorite Ocean Bomb Bubble Milk Tea.

    Reply
  3. Evil Teapot says

    May 13, 2021 at 4:50 am

    This is a great recipe! A good tip for the cheese sauce is to add about a teaspoon of Dijon mustard

    Reply
    • Mella says

      May 15, 2021 at 12:38 am

      That's a great idea! Glad to hear you liked this recipe 🙂
      - Mella

      Reply
  4. Kathy says

    June 26, 2020 at 10:56 am

    5 stars
    Hi. Looks delish. Some questions,
    1. What weight (in oz or grams) did you use for the pasta sauce?
    2. How similar is this meat sauce with your Filipino Spaghetti sauce? We tried and love that sauce, by the way. Or can we use the Filipino Spaghetti sauce for the meat sauce?

    Reply
    • Mella says

      June 26, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Hi Kathy, I've updated the recipe. Sorry, I missed that. If you prefer a sweet sauce pasta sauce, you can definitely use the Filipino pasta sauce.

      Reply
      • Jonalyn Cariño says

        August 08, 2020 at 5:21 pm

        Question, is the 730grams pasta sauce too much for the 250grams of elbow macaroni?

        Reply
        • Mella says

          August 16, 2020 at 9:10 pm

          It's just enough in my opinion as we're using the liquid to cook the pasta.

  5. Gwendolyn Oliver says

    November 18, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    Plan to make it and other of your sauce recipes if this kind real soon. Thanks for your blog. How do I subscribe ?

    Reply
    • Mella says

      November 19, 2019 at 9:43 am

      Hi Gwendolyn, Thanks for dropping by! There's a subscription box at the bottom of the page 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe




Primary Sidebar

HELLO!

My name is Mella and welcome to my blog. Here I share Filipino, Asian, and many easy-to-follow recipes. Enjoy and happy cooking!

Reader's Favorites

  • Lechon Pork Belly with Crispy Crackling
  • Soft Pandesal Recipe (stays soft even the next day!)
  • Beef Caldereta (Kaldereta)
  • Chunky Mushroom and Celery Soup
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup Pasta Sauce
  • Super Soft Ensaymada Recipe

Latest Recipes

  • Coconut Mochi Donut (Carioca/Cascaron)
  • Twice Cooked Pork Adobo (with Potatoes and Eggs)
  • Chicken Adobo Recipe
  • Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff with Mushroom Soup
  • Easy Beef Stir Fry with Black Pepper Sauce
  • Filipino Pork BBQ Skewers (Grill, Oven, or Air-Fry)

Footer

Search for a recipe

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Content Permissions

Visit our sister site

Simple Chicken Recipes

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Follow Me!

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Buy me a coffee

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

COPYRIGHT © 2022 RIVERTEN KITCHEN