Bechamel Pasta Bake (Macarona Bechamel or Pastitsio)
This bechamel pasta bake, also called macarona bechamel or pastitsio, is an amazingly flavorful dinner casserole! It combines rigatoni noodles with a seasoned ground beef filling and a rich bechamel white sauce! It's an addictive flavor combination that you'll be making over and over again after trying it!
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Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C ) and lightly oil your baking dish.
Pasta
In a large pot cook the rigatoni (or other pasta) in salted, boiling water until cooked but still firm (al dente). Drain, then rinse with cold water and set aside for later.
Meat Mixture
In a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat add in olive oil and heat until shimmering.
Add diced onions to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent, and fragrant.
Add in the lean ground beef and mix with the onions. Break up the meat into small pieces and cook till browned.
Pour in the tomato sauce. Stir in the allspice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.Mix thoroughly.
Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat.
Bechamel Sauce
In a medium stockpot melt the butter over medium heat.
After the butter has melted add in the flour a bit at a time stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the milk and chicken stock and continue whisking until there are no clumps and the sauce has become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Remove from heat.
Assembly
In a large dutch oven, casserole dish, or baking pan put a spoonful of the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the dish. Arrange half the pasta in the bottom then pour in an additional 1 cup of the white sauce mix.
Next add in all of the meat mixture on top of the pasta, using your spoon to level it end to end on the pasta as the middle layer.
Add the second half of the cooked pasta over the top of the meat mixture and then top with all the remaining bechamel sauce and spread evenly.
Place in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes at 350°F (175°C ) until golden brown in color.
Remove from your oven and allow to set up and cool for about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
While rigatoni ismy go-to pasta for this pasta bake, you can substitute another kind if you desire. I do recommend something hearty, such as ziti or even orecchiette, as delicate pasta like angel hair may not match well with this style of sauce.
Use room temperature, or even slightly heated milk, for the best bechamel sauce results. You can heat the 4 cups of whole milk in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between until warmed to the touch.
Be sure to spread the sauce evenly so that all the pasta is covered. No piece of pasta should be skipped over. A large spoon will do the trick for spreading from corner to corner.
When cooking the ground beef, get it to a nicely browned (and fully cooked) color.