Macaroni Bechamel (Egyptian Baked Pasta)
I make this dish with a well-seasoned beef sauce between two layers of pasta, topped with bechamel sauce, and bake to perfection!
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 457kcal
Ingredients
- 480 g pasta penny
- ½ teaspoon salt
For The Meat Sauce
- 500 g minced beef
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 onion minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cloves
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ stick cinnamon
- 4 pods cardamom
- 1 cup water
For The Bechamel Sauce
- 5 cups whole milk
- 8 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large pot with salted water cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Preparing the filling: In a pot, place the minced beef, minced onion, water and all the spices then cook until the beef is fully cooked and all the liquid is reduced.
- Add the tomato sauce then stir and turn off the heat.
- Making the bechamel: Pour the milk in a pot then add the flour, salt and pepper.
- After that, place the mixture over medium heat and whisk occasionally using the whisk. Once the mixture starts to bubble whisk continuously until it thickens, then turn off the heat.
- Assembling everything: Preheat the oven at 190C
- Spread two tablespoons of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish then spread half of the cooked pasta.
- After that, spread the filling evenly over the pasta.
- Then spread the other half of the pasta over the filling.
- Finally, spread the bechamel sauce on top.
- Bake for one hour or until the top becomes golden brown.
Notes
- Don't overcook the pasta it will oven-bake for around an hour, which will make it softer.
- In this recipe, I make bechamel sauce without using butter at all; however, if you like the traditional way of making bechamel feel free to make it that way.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 496mg | Potassium: 523mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 2mg