Ingredients
Meat Sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp Butter for sauteeing
1 1/4 lb ground beef or lamb
1 16oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup Tomato sauce
2 tbsp butter for sauce
salt and pepper
cinnamon
Noodles
1 lb of pastitsio noodles
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Bechamel
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups warm milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
Preparation
Meat Sauce Sautee the onions and garlic until just starting to turn golden brown. Add the meat and brown. Add the tomatoes, additional butter, and spices and simmer for 15 minutes, allowing most of the liquid to reduce, leaving a hearty sauce.
Noodles Cook the noodles for 5-7 minutes. Beat the eggs and cheese together, and toss the noodles in the mixture.
Bechamel Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. When the bubbling stops, add the flour and stir together to make a roux. Add in the milk a little at a time and let the sauce come together. Temper the sauce into the egg then stir the egg in and add the salt and nutmeg.
Put it all together Put half the noodles into the bottom of a 9×12 inch baking dish. If you are using real pastitsio noodles, lay them out parallel (think of it like a lasagna - the extra effort is worth it). Layer the meat sauce onto the noodles, then the rest of the noodles on top. Pour the bechamel over the whole thing. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, give it 10-15 minutes to cool a bit and to let the bechamel set up. Slice and serve.
