Trinidad macaroni pie is a Caribbean comfort food classic. It’s similar to a baked macaroni and cheese casserole, but the cheese isn’t melted down into a sauce before baking.
Macaroni pie is a popular Trinidadian baked pasta dish that is made up of macaroni, cheese, eggs, evaporated milk and seasonings.
I grew up eating my mom’s sweet macaroni pie which is essentially a basic macaroni pie recipe, with the addition of 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (or condensed milk). I love how the sweet pie pairs with stewed chicken, and no matter how many other versions I try, I will always prefer my mom’s pie over everyone else’s.
I shared that recipe on my blog about six years ago, and it’s one of my most popular recipes today. However, I recently realized that no one else makes their macaroni pie sweet…
“Traditional” Trinidad macaroni pie is made with macaroni, eggs, grated cheese, evaporated milk, salt and white pepper. Optional add-ins include grated onion or carrot, chopped herbs and tomato. At least, these are the ingredients that are listed in the 2002 edition of the Naparima Girls’s High School Cookbook (officially titled The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean). This is the quintessential book on Trinidadian cuisine, and every Trinidadian family seems to have a copy of the book in their home.
The first edition, published in 1988, lists only macaroni, eggs, cheese and carnation milk as the ingredients for the recipe. Salt, black pepper and grated onion are optional. Personally, I can see why they altered the recipe in the second edition of the book… I can’t imagine that the original recipe would be very tasty!
I asked my friends and family to divulge what they put in their macaroni pies. Everyone said their pies are savoury, and everyone said they use milk and eggs. Some people use a combination of cheddar and mozzarella cheese, while others prefer just aged cheddar cheese. Some people add herbs, others add ketchup and mustard, and I have one aunt that makes a really tasty version with powdered ginger.
My friend Heather from Heather’s Eats shared a Bajan (meaning from Barbados) macaroni cheese pie recipe with me too. That one was heavy on the mustard, using both hot English mustard and regular yellow mustard. It also included ketchup, onion and red pepper sauce, with optional sweet bell peppers, butter and breadcrumbs.
The recipe really varies from family to family, which makes me wonder who gets to decide which version of Trinidad macaroni pie is authentic?
I’m Trinidadian-born, my parents are also Trinidadian, as are my grandparents on both sides. My mom has always made our macaroni pie sweet, and no one else seems to. I often worry that the versions of Trinidadian recipes that I grew up with aren’t “authentic” enough to publish on my blog.
But lately, I’ve been wondering who gets to decide which recipes are the gold standard and which are not?
There are so many variations in recipes, from country to country, village to village, even person to person, that it’s a bit ridiculous to think that certain recipes should be made one way and one way alone in order to be “authentic”.
This is my savoury version of Trinidad macaroni pie – a version that most people seem to enjoy.
I tried making one with raw grated onion added in, just a quarter cup of it, and I really disliked it. So I’ve opted to cook my onions down so they become a bit sweeter before adding them to the pie. If you want the onion flavour, without the work, you could substitute a teaspoon of onion powder instead.
I’ve also used dry mustard powder instead of prepared mustard, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Either will work just fine.
For the cheese, you can use any cheddar that you like. I used a blend of white and orange aged cheddar cheese, but I’ve also used marble cheese in the past and it works out great (although the flavour is milder). My mom told me that when we lived in Trinidad, we used to get New Zealand cheddar cheese, so if you can find that it might be a good option.
If you try making this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed it. Or, if you usually make macaroni pie at home, let me know what you like to add to yours!
Trinidad Macaroni Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni , uncooked
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- ¼ cup onion , finely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 2 2/3 cups evaporated milk , (measure from 2 cans of Carnation milk)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- a pinch of cayenne pepper , optional
- 3½ cups grated aged cheddar cheese , reserve ½ cup for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9×11 baking dish, and set aside.
- Boil macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Once cooked, drain the macaroni and place back into the pot, leaving it off the heat to cool down.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cook until softened and slightly caramelized. Scrape the onions and melted butter into the pot with the macaroni. Stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Add milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour the egg mixture over the macaroni and stir until well coated.
- Stir in 3 cups of the shredded cheese.
- Pour into a greased, 9×11 baking dish and top with reserved ½ cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake until the pie is firm, and the top is golden brown. About 35-40 minutes.
- Allow pie to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cold cheese is easier to shred than warm cheese
- This dish is traditionally made with Trinidad-style cheese (New Zealand cheddar) but you can use any cheddar you like, or use a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella.
- Aged cheddar will taste more “cheesy” than a mild cheddar
- If the cheese on top begins to brown too quickly, cover it with tin foil for the remaining baking time
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Karen Ahmed says
This looks stunning. Can’t wait to try it!
Shareba says
Thanks Karen!
John says
Shareba I first tried Trinidadian Macaroni pie on my first visit to Port of Spain to play cricket when we received from the local mums our cricket lunch. Delicious and a great food to give you some energy in the hot afternoon sun. I agree everyone’s receipt should be slightly different so as to encompass family and regional differences. Cooking is more creative and fun when you experiment with slightly different local ingredients. Where would we be without our own family and regional menu and different food cultures?…….bored!
Shareba says
Hi John, thank you for your message. I love your perspective on cooking, and I agree – we would be quite bored without the variety!
Ginni @Spicy Eggplant says
That is one neat looking pie Shareba, lovely recipe and beautiful photos!
Shareba says
Thanks for stopping by Ginni!
Denise @ Urbnspice says
I totally agree with you about the Onion being cooked ahead of time. That is how I make my version, too (with a little diced ham,too). I would like to try this Trinidad version because we had a great connection to that place while we were on a Habitat for Humanity build (the first group from Canada). Thanks for sharing a recipe from that part of the world.
Shareba says
That’s so nice! How long were you there for the build?
Denise @ UrbnSpice says
Two weeks – and that is a long two weeks in the Trinidad heat 🙂 It was a great experience, though. We have done a few of those in different places.
Shareba says
I hear you! I can barely stand the heat when I visit, it’s a different kind of heat than what we get here. Sounds like it was worth it though!
Mike T says
Can you do the metric ingredients, ie grams and litres?
Shareba says
Hi Mike, I’ve done my best to convert the measurements to metric. You should now be able to see the option to choose “metric” under the ingredient list, which will list the amounts in grams and millilitres. I hope this helps!
Mike says
Thank you so much. I’ll give it a try.
Shareba says
No problem! Let me know how it turns out!
Isabelle @ Crumb says
So your family’s sweet macaroni pie sounds a little bit like a Jewish kugel, which is basically egg noodles baked in a sweet egg custard, sometimes with apples or other fruits mixed in. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but I have a soft spot for it. 🙂
I’ve tried the more traditional savoury macaroni pie, and it’s definitely my kind of comfort food. I’ve been begging my Trini coworker to share the recipe, but looks like I don’t have to any more… neener neener!
Shareba says
Oh good to know! I’ve never heard of kugel before. Haha, well I hope this recipe lives up to your expectations then, let me know if you end up trying it out 🙂
Andrea MacGlone says
I am from Bermuda and we, as a country, have created food by ‘borrowing’ from many different cultures. Many of the favourites have a sweet/salty combination and I just can’t get enough, as an adult, of finding recipes that satisfy that craving. I would be happy to share some of my faves including fried fish on raisin bread, fish chowder, cassava pie and the African dish Boboti which is delectable.
Shareba says
Hi Andrea, thanks for this comment. It’s nice to hear from other people who come from places where the native cuisine is made up of bits and pieces of other cuisines. I think that must be the case on a lot of the islands. There are influences from the people who live there and the people who visit, and recipes change depending on what’s available, too. Thank you for offering to share your recipes! I’ll send you an email about that later 🙂
Jeroen says
We made this for xmas dinner last night. Not a single crumb was left. I was a bit easier on the thyme than suggested and added some shredded parmesan on the top edges for the crunch. Super recipe!
Shareba says
Thanks for leaving a comment Jeroen! I’ll have to try adding shredded parmesan the next time I make this, I’ve never tried that! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Merry Christmas 🙂
Ally says
It was really nice, but the egg felt a bit odd addition compared to macaroni pies I have had before. Still really nice but would probably leave out the egg next time.
Shareba says
Hey Ally, thanks for trying the recipe! Trinidadian macaroni pie always has an egg or two in it, two bind the filling together. But I have seen Southern pies that leave it out, so it should work if you omit it (although I’ve never tried that myself).
Ally says
Yes but never that noticeable, maybe it was the 3 eggs instead of 1, just was quite noticeable between the macaroni. Thanks for the advice, will probably keep 1 egg in next time for binding only
Shareba says
Could be, both of my macaroni pie recipes use 3, but I know I’ve made them with 2 when I’m low on groceries. I’ve never noticed the egg flavour coming through, but I’ll have to try it with just one and see how it turns out. I’ll make a note to test this again later, thanks!
Jan jan says
I made this last night. I’m from Jamaica but constantly make recipes from other cultures. My
Mac and cheese usually has red and green peppers, garlic, diced ham, sometimes broccoli and like 4 different types of cheeses. Anyway, yours is delicious, I am finding the thyme too strong though. I would probably half it next time or maybe use fresh thyme instead. And I’m going to increase the amount of onions next time. Thanks for sharing. Yummm…currently eating my second helping today!!!
Shareba says
Hi Jan, thanks for sharing your feedback on the recipe. I’m glad you still enjoyed it 🙂 Your version sounds delicious too!
Shareba says
Just a quick note to say that I’m editing the recipe to decrease the amount of thyme from 1 tsp to 1/2 tsp, based on reader feedback!
Maureen kelly says
I can’t wait to get my shopping to try it. My boyfriend is grenadian I think he will love it as he has a sweeter tooth than me. I will let you know how it goes
Shareba says
I hope he likes it Maureen! Definitely let me know how it turns out!
Esther Esmat says
Was not looking for a specific recipe. Just a basic pie recipe.. In my search your recipe appeared. I attempted the recipe listed. The pie was delicious, moist and excellent flavor. Since this pie was for one, I averaged the ingredients, added more spices and chili pepper; and used 1/2 and 1/2 creamy milk instead. Thanks.
Shareba says
I’m so glad the recipe worked out for you Esther. Thanks for sharing your adjustments too!
Pala says
I happened to run across this recipe after looking for Sorrel Drink recipes. Wow, I just made this about a week ago (my own recipe) with sautéed onions, evaporated milk, half-and-half, and plenty of eggs—what a coincidence! All the suggested add-ins are great [except I don’t go for the meat; although not Carribean, I am Rasta]. Previously I thought this was a Southern (U.S.) thing, baked Mac & cheese. It’s interesting to find that it’s also a Carribean/ Trinidadian recipe.
Shareba says
Hi Pala, thanks for your comment. You’re right, it’s very similar to baked mac & cheese. I think there are some similarities in Southern cuisine and the cuisine in parts of the Caribbean, which is pretty cool. I hope the Sorrel Drink recipe worked out for you!
Michelle says
Love this version so much. Have cooked it many times now & my family love it too. Thankyou for sharing your recipe.
Shareba says
Thanks Michelle! I’m so glad that you and your family have been enjoying it 🙂
Imogen says
We have a strong love of Caribbean food in our house and YOUR Mac and Cheese is the ONLY one for us. Thank you so much!!
Shareba says
Oh my goodness, thank you for saying that. I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe!
Emily Boyd says
Lol I made this but somehow I forgot the eggs. Not sure how it would taste with the eggs but I can honestly say it was one of my best macaroni pies.
Shareba says
I’m glad it still turned out for you! Really, the egg just binds it together and makes it a bit richer. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it, thanks Emily!
Emily Boyd says
Btw I forgot to tell you I’m from Trinidad too. I just found your site. Keep up the good work.
Shareba says
Oh, awesome! It’s nice to e-meet you 🙂
I hope you’ll come visit again. Let me know if there are any recipes that you’re looking for!
Adrian says
This recipe is perfect. No other description.
Well done!
Shareba says
Thanks so much Adrian, I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Leon De Gannes says
Great Recipe
Shareba says
Thank you!
Usaama says
Hi there! Hope all is well. I am trying this today all the way in London. I added 1 egg instead of 2 ( due to previous attempt and it came out very eggy). I added 1 tsp of mayonnaise as substitute. I have now put it in the oven and will let you know how it comes out!! So far so good!
Shareba says
Hi Usaama, I hope you enjoyed it! It should work just fine with 1 egg. I know not everyone enjoys the eggy-ness of 2 eggs.
Tanya S says
This was absolutely delicious! Made it today for the family and they loved it too.
Nice easy recipe for a beginner like me haha
I used mild cheddar so added a little more salt than the recipe called for and it was fine, also left it in to bake for an extra 5 mins.
I was worried because when I took it out the oven and let it stand for 15 mins it was still really soft in the centre, so let it stand a little longer and it was perfect.
Thank you for this recipe Shareba! I’m part Trinidadian and am trying to learn some recipes, so glad I found your site 🙂
Shareba says
Hey Tanya, thanks so much for your comment! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe, and you found it easy to follow. Sometimes the pie can take a bit longer to cool because of the pan, so that was good thinking on your part.
I’ve got a few Trini recipes on here, and am hoping to add more in future. It’s nice to know that other people are enjoying them 🙂 Happy Cooking!
Sally says
I am from Trinidad living in Canada now but have never made Macaroni pie. Saw your recipe and made it twice. Really good and not dry. So will always use your recipe. I used the long macaroni from Trinidad.
Shareba says
I’m glad that you enjoyed my recipe, Sally! Happy Holidays!
Reena says
If I’m using long normal macaroni would it be 8oz for this recipe?
Beth says
I live in Charleston SC and macaroni pie is an old classic. Many people make mac and cheese but macaroni pie is where its at! My husband’s grandmother made it weekly and we all loved it. The Caribbean islands had great influence on our local cuisine so I feel sure that’s where it originated. The eggs are what make it so good and different from mac and cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
Shareba says
Thanks for sharing that! It has been so interesting to find out that Macaroni Pie is popular in places outside of the Caribbean. I hope you enjoy my recipe 🙂
Richard says
I’m determined to try this but, living in the UK it’s not a common dish. What would you typically eat with it, just as a guide. Thanks.
Shareba says
Hi Richard, macaroni pie pairs well with anything stewed or grilled, so long as it has sauce. So we often eat ours with stewed chicken or saucy BBQ chicken. The pie isn’t creamy like mac and cheese, so you that’s why we pair it with something saucy. Also, the pie has a subtle sweetness that pairs well with the bold flavours of BBQ sauce, or stew gravy that has a bit of heat. I hope that helps!