No-Bake 'Baked' Mac

This is a Filipino style spaghetti so manage your expectations if you did not grow up eating in a Filipino household. Sweet spaghetti is maybe abhorent to Italians but food evolves to culture and this is ours.

Serves:	~5
Time:	~60 mins
Tags:	#filipino #pasta

Ingredients

• 1/4 kg ground pork/beef (or more)
• 400 g elbow macaroni
• 800 g spaghetti sauce
• 8 red hotdogs
• 1 bulb garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 beef/pork cube
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 80g quickmelt cheese (sometimes more is better)
• 140ml evaporated milk
• 250ml all purpose cream
• 1 tbsp of liquid seasoning/soy sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: Dried parsley

Steps

• Spaghetti sauce
  1. In a pot, boil your macaroni. Add salt and oil and cook until al dente.
  2. In a pan over medium heat, In a pan over medium heat, cook the ground meat until it releases fat. Add onion and garlic; sauté.
  3. Add the hotdogs, season with salt and pepper, and sauté a bit more.
  4. Pour in the spaghetti sauce and add the pork/beef cube. Mix and simmer for about 4 minutes.
  5. Add cooked macaroni and mix well.
• White sauce (Bechamel)
  1. Melt butter on low heat, then add flour. Stir and cook for a minute.
  2. Pour in evaporated milk and all purpose cream. Add cheese and stir until smooth.
  3. Season with salt and pepper. Add liquid seasoning/soy sauce then stir.

Serving

• Transfer pasta into a large bowl or pan. Pour and spread the white sauce over the top (or mix it in).
• Top with dried parsley for color and presentation.

Notes

• Liquid seasoning/soy sauce is totally optional if you just want a thick, cheesy, creamy consistency. I prefer a bit of umami and it balances out the cheesiness of the white sauce.