macarona bechamel

One of Egypt&#039;s Iconic dishes, a comforting meal with layers of pasta, savory meat sauce and rich béchamel. It&#039;s like a Pastitsio cousine, only better as it done much simpler with easy to find ingredients in almost half the time. It&#039;s that kind of food that nourishes the soul as much as the body.

Macarona Bechamel (Egyptian Baked Pasta)

box Penne pasta

Tablespoon oil (any light tasting oil will work)

salt and black pepper (to taste)

Tablespoons oil (any light tasting oil will work)

onion

tomato paste

beef

cinnamon

unsalted butter

oil (any light tasting oil will work)

all purpose flour (, about 12 Tablespoons)

milk

chicken broth

Salt and black pepper. (to taste)

Cook pasta according to package directions, try to make it a bit al dente as it will continue cooking in the oven.

Drain, then add a tablespoon of oil to the pasta and stir to combine. Check the seasoning of the pasta, adding more salt and pepper if you like. Set aside

Cook Pasta:

In a pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil, then sauté onion until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground meat and brown.

Drain fat and stir in tomato paste. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes more. Season with cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Set aside.

Cook minced meat:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and butter. Wait until butter melts then add flour and whisk for 1- 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the liquids gradually, one cup at a time whisking vigorously as the sauce will thicken.

Keep cooking for an additional 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens enough to cover the back of a spoon and does not disappear when you make a path with your finger.

Set aside

Make the béchamel sauce:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Pour about 3/4 cup of the béchamel sauce over the cooked pasta and mix well.

Spread another 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce evenly at the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Spread half the pasta over, then layer the entire meat mixture over the pasta. Top that with the remaining pasta and level.

Crack an egg, if using, over the remaining béchamel sauce and whisk well.

Pour the béchamel over the pasta and spread evenly.

Bake in the oven for almost 30-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.

Let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Assemble the dish and bake:

I thought that I would give this recipe a go as we do enjoy  Greek Pastitsio. This recipe was rather bland as it was without the magical spices and flavours of the Greek version that I usually prepare. I would have reduced the amount of pasta used  for a softer consistency. Popular with little ones  but needed to take the flavours up a notch, omitting egg, adding a little cheese and  warm spices.

Dear Amira, 

Do you have any ideas on how to make a mini-bechamel for two people? It is just my husband and I and we really miss bechamel but it's too much for us (especially in Ramadan haha) Thank you always for your perfect recipes

Sommer

An excellent recipe, followed it exactly and turned out just how I remember it. Thank you so much.

One of my favorites when I'm in Egypt.I have a request can you please post the recipe for roqaaq bel lahma that's another favourite but here in south Africa we don't get the dried roqaaq.shukran ukthi

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1550460860/zpfgza2gelk96k4rq8ak.mp4

EGYPTIAN BAKED BECHAMEL PASTA : A MASTERPIECE
Ladies and gentlemen, pasta lovers,  may I present to you, the Egyptian version of baked pasta with bechamel. One of life’s true pleasures, a comfort food that only pasta lovers will appreciate. Layers of pasta and – a little tangy – ground beef stacked together then topped with thick, brown and bubbly bechamel sauce that is not runny but not dry too … what else can you look for?!!. This is a very common dish in Egyptian banquets specially in holidays.

EGYPTIAN BAKED BECHAMEL PASTA : A MASTERPIECE

This comforting Bechamel Pasta Bake is so delicious and requires simple ingredients. Make the pasta and the meat sauce, but the magic behind this dish is the silky Bechamel sauce that gets poured on top. Delicious!

Bechamel Pasta Bake (Macarona Bechamel)

600 g Penne pasta

Water

Salt

vegetable oil

tomato sauce

allspice

black pepper

flour

butter

L milk

chicken stock

salt

Preheat your oven to 375F

Start by boiling the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside

For the meat sauce, finely dice the onion and cook in a pan with the vegetable oil, stirring occasionally until softened for about 5 minutes

Add the meat and break it up using a wooden spoon and cook until browned, for about 5-7 minutes

Add all the spices and the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside

Make the bechamel sauce by melting the butter over medium heat

Add the flour in a few tablespoons at a time and continue whisking as you do this to form a roux. Cook for 3-4 minutes as you continuously whisk

Warm the milk by heating in the microwave for a few seconds until its room temperature or slightly warmer (you don't need it to be hot). Cold milk works too but warm milk is easier to incorporate

Pour the milk in slowly while continuously whisking. The sauce may look lumpy but don't worry - keep pouring in the milk and whisking. If you feel your sauce is catching on the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down to medium low

When milk is finished, add in the chicken stock and continue to whisk for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Check by coating the back of a spoon and running your finger through it - it should stay separated

Mix the pasta with roughly 1 cup of the Bechamel sauce

In a deep, large casserole dish, add a tablespoon of Bechamel sauce and spread it around, then add half the pasta

Add all of the meat mixture on top and even out the layer, then add the remaining pasta

Cover with all of the Bechamel sauce and smooth it out - you should have enough sauce to cover the whole thing well

Cover the casserole with aluminium foil and bake at 375F for 45 mins. Uncover and broil for 15 minutes to brown the top

Allow the pasta to cool for 15-20 minutes to set, then cut into pieces and enjoy

I tried this recipe last weekend and I loved it. It is so simple and the instructions are very clear. 

Made this today for iftar! Cannot wait to taste it. Was super easy &amp; love how simple it comes together!

Best bechamel I’ve had! The instructions were so easy to follow and it’s the same taste I am used to growing up! I did omit the tomato sauce from the meat mixture for personal preference and it still turned out so delicious! Will definitely make this again. Amina’s recipes are a gem- I’ve triad many and they’re always spot on in terms of flavor and authenticity. 

Easy to follow and delicious.  I added some mozzarella cheese to the top and it was great! 

Salam Amina, 1:1 based on volume or weight?

When going by volume: 1tbsp flour weighs 7.5grams, and 1tbsp butter is 14grams. So that would be to 2:1-ish by weight, 1:1 by volume.

Which do you feel is more correct?
Jzk

Amina, I was freaking out the whole time I was making this, thinking I would mess it all up. It turned out amazing! The whole family loved it. Instructions are clear too! A little taste of home away from home. Thank you for this recipe. 😃👍

Perfect and easy! Ive replaced lasagna with this dish as my husband prefers it. I used to be intimidated by bechamel but i had no issues recreating this. I only halved the recipe because its a lot for two people wed be eating from it all week.

Amazing dish and the instructions were perfect

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/EygkrFcz.mp4

Macarona Bechamel, as it's known in the Middle East, is a Bechamel pasta bake that takes the win for the best pasta casserole ever! It's an Egyptian dish that is loved by the family and I and its pure comfort food.

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