Baked Pasta with Béchamel

Ingredients

• Small elbow pasta
• Meat layer:
• Chopped onion
• Ground beef
• Beef seasoning
• Mixed spices
• Black pepper
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• Béchamel sauce:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1½ cups milk
• 1 egg
• Top layer:
• Mozzarella cheese
• or
• Crushed biscuit/kaak crumbs
• Butter
• Recipe and method for baked pasta with béchamel from a friend and cook on Shou Tabkhin Today:
• Rana Atoui
• Click Rana’s name to visit her page on our site and see all her delicious recipes
• For more delicious Italian recipes see: Lasagna

Method

1. Boil the pasta in water with a little corn oil and salt. When cooked, leave it in a colander to drain.
2. Prepare the meat filling. Fry the chopped onion in a little corn oil until soft, then add the meat and spices and stir. When the meat is cooked, add the sauce and a little water, stir for five minutes then turn off the heat.
3. Start making the béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the flour, stirring continuously until its color changes.
4. Then add the milk with a little salt, stirring quickly so the flour doesn't clump. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
5. Turn off the heat and set the béchamel aside to cool. When it has cooled, add the egg and whisk well.
6. In a baking dish, put half of the cooked pasta in the bottom, then all the meat mixture, then the remaining pasta.
7. Pour the béchamel sauce over, and sprinkle mozzarella or breadcrumbs on top.
8. Distribute pieces of butter on the surface as well.
9. Place the baking dish in the oven — do not put it directly on the oven floor; place it on the first rack.
10. Bake at a high temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven's strength, watching for color change on the bottom of the dish.
11. Turn off the bottom heat and turn on the top heat to brown the surface of the béchamel pasta.
12. Serve the béchamel pasta immediately or after it cools slightly so it does not fall apart when slicing.
13. Rana Atwi
14. For more delicious Italian recipes, see this link: Lasagna