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Egyptian Macaroni béchamel dish

Egyptian Macaroni Béchamel

5 from 2 votes
A comforting baked pasta dish made with layers of macaroni, seasoned ground beef, and creamy béchamel sauce, baked until golden and bubbly.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 9 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Egyptian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Calories: 450
Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients
  

For the Pasta:
  • 3/4 lb penne pasta
  • Salt (for boiling water)
For the Meat Filling:
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 6 tbsp tomato sauce
For the Béchamel Sauce:
  • 8 tbsp butter unsalted
  • 8 tbsp flour
  • 4 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp Salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper or to taste
  • 2 eggs

Method
 

Cook Pasta:
  1. Boil penne pasta in salted water until just al dente.
    Penne pasta in a pot of water
  2. Drain and set aside.
    Cooked Penne pasta in a pot
Prepare Meat Filling:
  1. Heat the oil, sauté the onions until soft, then add the ground beef.
    Raw ground beef in a pan
  2. Cook until browned.
    Cooked ground beef in a pan
  3. Season with cardamom, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
    Seasoning ground beef
  4. Add tomato sauce and mix well.
    Tomato Sauce on top of the ground beef
  5. Cook for 3 minutes and set aside.
Make Béchamel:
  1. Melt butter over medium heat in a big pot.
    Butter in a big pot
  2. Whisk in flour (gradually), cook 3–5 minutes or until it turns to a light golden color.
    Golden flour and butter paste
  3. Turn off the heat. Gradually add milk, whisking until thick and smooth.
    Thick bechamel sauce
  4. Return to medium heat again. Season with salt and pepper.
    Bechamel sauce seasoned with salt and pepper
  5. Whisk and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a minute while whisking.
    Whisking bechamel sauce
  6. Turn off the heat. Let it cool down completely.
    creamy bechamel sauce in a pot
  7. Whisk the eggs and add them to the bechamel sauce and mix well.
    Adding eggs to the bechamel sauce
Assemble:
  1. Mix some béchamel with pasta ( about 3/4 to 1 cup).
    Pasta with bechamel sauce
  2. Spread about 3 tbsp of bechamel sauce on the bottom of your 9x13 baking dish.
    Bechamel sauce in a baking dish
  3. Layer half the pasta, then the meat, then the remaining pasta.
    Baking dish layered with pasta with bechamel sauce and ground beef and topped with another layer of pasta with bechamel sauce
  4. Pour remaining béchamel on top.
    Bechamel sauce covering pasta in a baking dish.
Bake:
  1. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for an hour or until golden.
    Egyptian Macaroni Bechamel

Video