Updated on 13 October 2026. The original 2006 post is kept below.
Finland’s comfort food, explained
Time for some home-team honesty: makaronilaatikko (macaroni casserole) is one of Finland’s most loved everyday dishes, not a crime at all. Macaroni, minced meat and onion are baked in a milk-and-egg mixture until the top goes golden and crunchy. It became a regular family dinner in the 1950s, as Finnish media have described it, and moved from a party dish to a weekday staple.
It’s also a school-lunch champion. In a 2015 survey of Finnish pupils it came top of the school-food rankings, beating plenty of fancier options. Ready-made versions, like the supermarket tray in our 2006 photo, are a classic student and bachelor dinner.
And yes, the ketchup advice still stands. In Finland ketchup on makaronilaatikko is less a side dish and more a constitutional right. Frying the leftovers in a pan the next day, as in the picture, is another time-honoured tradition.
More Nordic classics: Swedish surströmming and jellied moose nose.
From the 2006 original
A finnish food producing company Saarioinen manufactures this delightful TV -dinner meal for true friends of pasta dishes!
On this picture the delicacy is prepared on a frying pan. It is advisable to reserve loads of ketchup to be consumed as a sidedish!
