Macaroni and Bechamel (Pastitsio)
This baked macaroni dish is the perfect comfort food. Penne or rigatoni is bathed in silky bechamel sauce and layered with spiced meat and tomato sauce, then topped with a thick layer of more creamy bechamel sauce. It’s then baked to bubbly and crusty perfection.
Equipment
- Blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups group beef
- olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pound of penne pasta
- 3 cups whole milk
- 5 tbsp of flour
- 3 tbsp butter
- Aged English Cheese
- Gouda Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420°F or 215°C
- In a large pot boil your pasta in salt water until it is soft. Drain and rinse
- Dice your onions and mince your garlic. Saute them until they are lightly browned and fragrent. Add in your ground beef and saute until cooked through. Add in your tomato paste and set aside.
- Combine the penne in a 15 by 8 pan.
- In a pan melt your butter and stir in your flour until it forms a sticky lump. Transfer it to a blender and blend it with your milk. Move it back to your pot. Bring it to a boil and add in your cheeses. Stir until it forms a thick creamy bechamel sauce (the consistency of soft whipped cream).
- Add the bechamel to your your pasta and meat. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top has some brown "splotches"