I try to eat healthy most of the time. But, really, don’t we all have some comfort foods from our past that we just need to taste again to bring us home? For me, Macaroni Au Four is just that! I am a mostly Armenian girl who grew up eating mostly Armenian food, so, I always thought Macaroni Au Four was an Armenian dish with…uh…a French name?
I was a confused child. We spoke mostly Armenian and English at home and my parents also spoke in French and Arabic to really confuse us! On my first day of kindergarten, I apparently started speaking Armenian to a couple of girls. They stared at me with crinkled brows, glanced at each other and just laughed. They kept asking me what I was saying. I was so upset. I went home and told my Mom about it. That was when I found out the truth. I spoke two languages. I had no idea.
So, I guess it’s pretty clear now how I could be confused over the origin of this dish! Macaroni Au Four is basically Baked Macaroni in French. Although, this dish resembles the Greek’s Pastitsio, so maybe there is some Armenian origin there somewhere since our foods are so similar. All I know is that my Armenian Mom made it and I loved it! The crunchy top and creamy macaroni below with a uniquely spiced ground meat in between all comes together perfectly. It makes me so happy that my children look forward to it as much as I did. Whenever my son comes home from college I ask him what he’d like me to make and he always asks for this. I guess it really is food that brings you home.
This is my monstrous portion of Macaroni Au Four. My reasoning? Well, first of all, it’s so good served cold the following day (you can certainly reheat it too)! Second, this size is great for having friends over. Lastly, but possibly the real reason for such a large portion, I bought this great stoneware baking dish that I just love to use…and it’s huge!
Macaroni Au Four
Bechamel
Pasta
2 lbs. Fusili pasta
1 T. sea salt
olive oil
In your largest pot, bring about 8 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add the sea salt and the pasta. Refer to the package for cooking time. It should be about 9 minutes. Stir frequently until the pasta is done. Drain in a colander and drizzle with a bit of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Give it a stir.
Meat Mixture
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 t. allspice
salt and pepper
In a 12″ fry pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until almost brown for about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the chopped onions, allspice, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for another few minutes until the beef has browned all the way through and the onions have softened. Remove from heat and set aside until the pasta has finished cooking.
Assembling the Macaroni Au Four
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large casserole dish (the one I use is 9 1/2x14x3), spread half of the pasta on the bottom. Next, add all of the meat mixture and spread it evenly over the pasta. Spread the remaining pasta evenly over the meat. Pour the béchamel over the top, covering the entire casserole. If you like, you can sprinkle just a little bit of Parmesan on top.
Bake in the oven uncovered for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for at least 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.
Notes:
- The macaroni gets a really nice crunchy top that we love. If you don’t like it that way, you can cover the dish for most of the cooking time and remove it for the last 20 minutes.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half to make one pound of pasta. Use a 9x13x2 casserole dish.
- Macaroni Au Four freezes well or can sit assembled in the fridge for one day before baking.
I do not believe this my grandma used to make this macaroni au four then my mom now I make it for my family. We are from Cairo we came to MTL in 1957.. we spoke Armenian, my father spoke french in his business my sister had her education in french so the name of this casserole did not confuse me at all.
Thanks for reminding me to make this dish. Your recipe is delicious
THANK. YOU for sharing.
Oh, Christine! How sweet that this invokes those beautiful memories for you! I love that you have such a similar history and experience. This is pure comfort food for us. Thank you for visiting and sharing your sweet story. xo
Wow! I made this last night and my family LOVED it! I’ve never heard of this dish, but it just sounded so good and it is! Your béchamel is on point. I’m going to use it whenever I need a béchamel sauce.
Emmie…I’m beyond thrilled that you and your family enjoyed this! Yup…béchamel is awesome stuff, isn’t it? I use this sauce with veggies too…SO delicious! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
I don’t recall how I got to this recipe, but I hope I never forget the recipe! This turned out absolutely delicious, creamy and comforting!
Anna! I’m thrilled that you liked it so much! I don’t know how you found me either, but I’m so glad you did! Thanks for making my day! xo
I read the first paragraph and thought I was reading my own story!
My parents also spoke French and Arabic around us kids to really confuse us – LOL
Also, we mainly spoke Armenian at home and I also thought this was an Armenian dish.
Haha!
I am so glad a found the recipe.
Thank you
I love that this was so relatable to you, Brigitte! So funny! Thanks for sharing and hope you love the recipe!
Wow! I thought my family was the only one who knew about this dish! Like, I thought that we all made it up or something :) Can I ask where in the world your Armenian side(s) is/are from? We are Egyptian Armenian (all of us living in the US now), and we also have a few members from Greece. I was looking for a macaroni au four recipe to share with a co-worker – so glad I found this blog!
You have me giggling, Maral! I was so surprised to find out anyone else knew about Macaroni au Four! My family originally came to the United States from Egypt too! It’s such a small world, isn’t it? So great to hear from you! I hope this recipe is as delicious as your own!
Holy crap! I thought macaroni au four was Armenian too!
Really? Hahaha…well, it may be Alexandra! I sure wish they named it in Armenian instead of French to confuse us! ;) Either way…it’s pure comfort food, isn’t it?
This looks absolutely scrumptious! I try to eat healthy most of the time too, but sometimes you just have to live a little! This definitely looks like one of those comforting, homey foods, that is worth splurging on! Love your blog! :-)
I’m so glad you think so Sarah! This is one of my favorites. Thanks so much for stopping in and taking the time to comment! You’ve made my day!