Egyptian Light Creamy Baked Béchamel Pasta (Greek Pastitsio)
Baked béchamel pasta the most popular dish of every occasion in Egypt. This dish is made of layers of penne pasta and juicy minced beef smothered in a creamy béchamel sauce. It is quite similar to the Greek Pastitsio, with the only difference in the shape of the used pasta. I have prepared an incredible skinny version which you can’t differentiate from the traditional one.
Egyptian Light Creamy Baked Béchamel Pasta (Greek Pastitsio)
Yield: 8 people
Calories: 393kcal
Equipment
- Oven
- Stove Top
Materials
- 400 gm Oat penne pasta
- ½ cup Light Mozzarella shredded
- ½ Cup Light Cheddar shredded
Minced Beef
- 500 gm Lean minced beef
- 1 Onion grated
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
Béchamel sauce
- 1 L Skimmed milk
- 6 tbsp Oat flour or Whole flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- 7 Spice blend
- ½ cup Light Cheddar shredded
Instructions
Pasta
- Start by bringing a large pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Then add the pasta to cook till al dente. Drain into a large colander, but don't rinse. Set aside.
Béchamel Sauce
- Prepare the béchamel sauce as described. Add the Cheddar cheese to the sauce.
Minced Beef
- Add salt to the grated onion.Then sauté the grated onion in a greased saucepan, stirring occasionally till tender.Add the minced beef, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the pan.Stir the meat occasionally for 10 minutes, making sure all sides are browned.
Assembling and Baking
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.Prepare all your ingredients.
- Coat the casserole with oil, then add a thin layer of béchamel sauce, followed by roughly half the quantity of the cooked pasta.Then add the minced beef, and another thin layer of béchamel sauce.
- Add another layer of pasta. Then one more thin layer of béchamel sauce. Finish by adding the rest of the pasta, followed by the béchamel sauce.Top with the shredded mozzarella and cheddar.
- Finally, Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes till golden brown and bubbling.
- Serve and enjoy!
