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    Home > Recipes > Caribbean Recipes

    Trinidad Macaroni Pie Recipe

    Published: Mar 31, 2017 · Modified: Mar 14, 2023 by Shareba · This post contains affiliate links, please read my disclosure policy.

    8.7K shares
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    1 hour
    A graphic of a slice of pie on a turquoise plate with the title "Trinidadian Macaroni Pie."

    Trinidad macaroni pie is a Caribbean comfort food classic.

    The dish is similar to a baked macaroni and cheese casserole, but the cheese isn't melted down into a sauce before baking.

    Overhead of a slice of orange macaroni pie on a blue plate.

    Macaroni pie is a staple dish in Caribbean cuisine, and one that I grew up eating a lot in my Trinidadian household.

    My mom has always made a sweet (kid-friendly) macaroni pie for me and my brother, 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 I know makes their macaroni pie sweet...

    Jump to:
    • 🥣 What Goes In Trinidadian Macaroni Pie?
    • 📖 Recipe Variations
    • 🍽 My Best Macaroni Pie Recipe
    • 🙋🏽 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🖨 Printable Recipe

    🥣 What Goes In Trinidadian Macaroni Pie?

    "Traditional" Trinidad macaroni pie is a baked dish 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, those 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!

    📖 Recipe Variations

    Overhead of a slice of macaroni pie on a turquoise plate.

    I asked my friends and family to share what they put in their macaroni pies, since every family has their own twist on this classic recipe.

    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 who 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".

    🍽 My Best Macaroni Pie Recipe

    Side profile of a slice of Trinidad macaroni pie on a plate.

    After a lot of trial and error, I've come up with a savoury Trinidad macaroni pie recipe that my friends and family seem to enjoy.

    My mac pie combines the sweetness of cooked onions with white pepper, garlic, mustard, thyme and cayenne.

    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 went with white pepper just because I didn't want to see any black flecks in my pie. If you don't have white pepper (or don't like it), you can use black pepper instead.

    I've also used dry mustard powder instead of prepared mustard, but you can use whatever you have on hand. I've made this with yellow mustard, dried mustard, Dijon mustard, and all of those taste great in this recipe.

    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, she would make her macaroni pie with 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!

    🙋🏽 Frequently Asked Questions

    What side dish goes well with mac and cheese?

    Macaroni pie pairs well with anything stewed or grilled, so long as it has sauce. The pie itself isn't creamy like mac and cheese, so it's best to pair it with something saucy. The strong flavours of stewed chicken or saucy barbecue chicken pairs very well with the subtle sweetness of the pie.

    Do you put eggs in macaroni pie?

    Trinidadian macaroni pie always has an egg or two in it, which binds the filling together. If you prefer a lighter/less eggy flavour, just use one. You can also try omitting it all together, but I haven't tested that myself.

    Can I make this recipe with regular cow's milk instead of evaporated milk?

    I do not recommend using cow's milk in this recipe. Cow's milk can easily curdle when cooked at high temperatures, whereas evaporated milk remains stable even when cooked at high temperatures.

    What size of baking dish should I make this in?

    I used a 9" x 11" enamelled cast iron baking dish to test this recipe. If you don't have that size, a 10" x 10" baking dish will also work. You can use a standard 9" x 13" baking dish, but your pie may turn out a little bit thinner than mine.

    🖨 Printable Recipe

    A slice of orange macaroni pie on a turquoise plate.

    Trinidad Macaroni Pie

    A classic Trinidadian baked pasta dish with cheese. 
    4.10 from 139 votes
    Created By: Shareba Abdul
    PRINT RECIPE SAVE RECIPESaved!
    PREPARATION TIME 20 minutes
    COOK TIME 40 minutes
    TOTAL TIME 1 hour
    COURSE Main Course
    CUISINE Caribbean
    SERVINGS 8
    CALORIES 484

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
    • 1 tablespoon salted butter
    • ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 ⅔ cups evaporated milk, (measure from 2 cans of Carnation milk)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
    • ½ teaspoon 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 medium 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 the greased 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

    I used a 9" x 11" enamelled cast iron baking dish to test this recipe. If you don't have that size, a 10" x 10" baking dish will also work. You can use a standard 9" x 13" baking dish, but your pie may turn out a little bit thinner than mine.
    Tips
    • 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.

    Please read the blog post for detailed tips and explanations.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 508mg | Potassium: 419mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 835IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 598mg | Iron: 1.4mg

    Nutrition Disclaimer: this nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of this information cannot be guaranteed.

    Have you made this recipe?Please leave a review in the comments below!

    This post was originally published on March 31, 2017. Since then, it has been updated.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heidi

      May 23, 2021 at 10:51 pm

      I am born and raised in Bermuda and we definitely have a sweet and savory palate. My ex-husband was from Portugal and commented that to his palate, everything we cook has a little sweet taste to it. We have so many cultures settled in our small island so I think we have benefited from that. One of our favorite Bwrmudian dishes is cassava (or farine) pie, which has a ton of eggs, vanilla, butter , nutmeg, ginger and sugar AND lots of pieces of chicken and/or pork. Sounds crazy, but it has to be tasted, to find out how delicious it is!

      Reply
      • Shareba

        May 24, 2021 at 12:12 pm

        Oh wow, I've never heard of casava pie before! I'll check it out! Thanks for sharing Heidi 🙂

        Reply
    2. Ria

      June 18, 2021 at 9:16 am

      My husband is from Trinidad and I made this! He said it taste like the pie back home! I'm so happy 😊 thank you for this recipe! I used the yellow mustard instead of the the dried one and still it's perfect! Thank you again!

      Reply
      • Shareba

        June 21, 2021 at 4:41 pm

        That's awesome Ria, I'm so glad that the recipe worked for you 🙂

        Reply
    3. Dio

      June 18, 2021 at 11:07 pm

      5 stars
      I love macaroni pie of all kinds, gaining an appreciation from the taste of my distant home, though I am not native and am triniameri.
      Me and my family loves to use penne instead of elbow/open noodles and different shaped/height dishes (like circle casserole) to have a “bigger block.”

      Reply
      • Shareba

        June 21, 2021 at 4:42 pm

        That's a great tip Dio, I'll have to test my recipe out with penne and in different shapes of containers!

        Reply
    4. Ria

      July 14, 2021 at 7:39 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for this recipe! My husband is from Trinidad and he loved it! He said he felt at home!!!

      Reply
      • Shareba

        July 15, 2021 at 11:31 am

        I'm happy to hear that he enjoyed it, Ria! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Cheryl

      August 30, 2021 at 10:56 am

      Super delightful...did not have mustard powder and used regular yellow muststd instead....worked just fine.
      A true family and friends favorite

      Reply
      • Shareba

        August 30, 2021 at 10:29 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it Cheryl!

        Reply
    6. Penguin

      November 09, 2021 at 2:20 pm

      5 stars
      Pengness thank you very much 🐧💕

      Reply
      • Shareba

        November 09, 2021 at 3:09 pm

        You're pengy welcome! 😛

        Reply
    7. Candy

      November 11, 2021 at 11:27 am

      I absolutely love this recipe - macaroni pie is my favorite way to cook and eat macaroni. I got the recipe from my Trini best friend and the only difference is the addition of the thyme and the absence of ketchup. Everyone thinks I'm crazy when I tell them I add ketchup and mustard to my macaroni lol. I'm practicing fine tuning my recipes in preparation for Thanksgiving and I'm so glad I found your blog!

      Reply
      • Shareba

        November 11, 2021 at 2:13 pm

        I'm glad that you love the recipe! I've heard of people adding ketchup and mustard, it's not weird at all! Everyone has their own spin on the recipe, which I think is so cool. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Candy!

        Reply
    8. Yolanda

      May 30, 2022 at 11:44 am

      5 stars
      Just made this and OMG it is delicious 😋 Instead of using salt I used season all for more flavor. Thanks for the recipe

      Reply
      • Shareba

        May 30, 2022 at 1:35 pm

        You're welcome, Yolanda! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
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