Another Baked Macaroni

I guess we are just fanatics for baked macaroni so I made with what was available in the kitchen. It came out pretty well - a Filipino-style sauce which mom likes.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo (1 lb.) lean pork, ground
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup onion, minced
1/3 cup green and red bell pepper, minced
1 kg tomato sauce
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsps. sugar
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup milk
500 grams elbow noodles, cooked
1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese
2 tbsps. parsley, chopped

In a sauce pan, saute meat on medium heat until everything is brown. Keep sauteing until the meat is dried out of its juices. Set aside. Add 2 tbsps. olive oil and saute onions, bell pepper and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add in the meat and continue to stir until the ingredients are well blended. Add the soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Pour the tomato sauce and stir until it boils. Reduce the heat and add the sugar and chili pepper and bay leaf. Simmer the sauce for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid the bottom from sticking and burning. Adjust the seasonings based on your taste then add milk to make a creamier sauce. Simmer for additional 3 minutes then turn heat off. Let the sauce cool and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to allow the spices to marry together with the sauce.
Cook noodles and drain. Mix the noodles with the meat sauce. Pour into a baking dish and top with the grated cheese. Sprinkle the parsley and bake at 350F for 5-8 minutes until the cheese melts and tops slightly turns brown.