St. Titus Pastitsio
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 medium onions
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ C red wine (water will also do)
- 1 lb box of pasta bucatini, penne, or tortiglioni
- 2 eggs beaten
Béchamel Sauce
- 1 stick butter
- ¾ C all-purpose flour
- 3 C milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- To begin, grease a 9×11 casserole dish.
- Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet and add the diced onion. Cook until translucent then add the beef and cook until browned. Next add the salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stir, and cook until fragrant. Add the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, stir, then the red wine, stir to deglaze the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes to evaporate most of the wine.
- While the sauce in simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions, except remove the pasta and drain 2 minutes under instructions. Set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, combine the pasta with the two eggs, beaten together, and divide the pasta into two equal portions. Spread the first half evenly into the greased casserole dish. Spread the meat sauce overtop and then top with the remaining pasta.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. While melting, heat the milk in a pot until steaming. Slowly add the flour to the melted butter, whisking constantly until incorporated. Then, take the hot milk and slowly pour one tablespoon in, whisk, and continue whisking and slowly adding the milk to avoid clumping until a smooth creamy sauce forms. Still slowly stirring, bring to a boil at which point the sauce will thicken, then reduce the heat again to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Whisk in the salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the top layer of pasta and place the whole dish in the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Remove and enjoy!