This is a definite comfort food full of
flavor. I'm Tess and tonight I'm making a
delicious Egyptian baked macaroni with a
creamy bechamel sauce. Stay tuned!
 
 
 
 
This Egyptian baked macaroni casserole
is very similar to lasagna or Greek
pastitsio or moussaka. It is generally
layer as a pasta meat sauce and cheese.
I'm starting with the meat sauce. In my
skillet on medium heat I added a couple
tablespoons of oil and one medium diced
onion. Cooking and stirring for about a
minute and then I'm adding in four
cloves of minced garlic.
We are flavoring a lot of meat and pasta
so we want a good amount of garlic.
Cooking and stirring for about 30
seconds and then I'm adding in my ground beef.
I have about a pound of lean ground
beef that I'm cooking, chopping and
stirring for about five minutes or until
no longer pink. If you need to, you can
drain off any excess fat.
Now for some seasonings. I have about a
quarter teaspoon each of salt and black
pepper. Here I have a half a teaspoon of
cinnamon and about an eighth of a
teaspoon of nutmeg and these combined
are really going to give this dish a
distinct flavor. A quarter teaspoon of
thyme and one tablespoon of tomato paste.
Giving that a good stir to combine,
cooking and stirring constantly for
about one minute.
Here I have one and three-quarter cups
of tomato sauce that I'm adding in a
little at a time. Stirring and bringing
this up to a simmer and cooking for two
to three minutes so the flavors all
combine. This smells so good! At the end
I will turn off my heat and add in a
handful of fresh parsley, stir to combine
and then set to the side.
 
Just a reminder that I will leave the
recipe and the list of ingredients for
this Egyptian macaroni Bechamel
casserole below this video.
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This is one pound of penne pasta that
I'm cooking about a minute shy of being
al dente.
 
 
And now for the Bechamel sauce. I have
five tablespoons of butter and four
tablespoons of flour. On medium heat I'm
melting the butter and then cooking and
stirring for about a minute or two. I'm
slowly adding in four cups of whole milk,
cooking and stirring well in between. You
will see the sauce thicken. I'm keeping
my heat at a medium to medium-high.You
don't want this to come to a full boil
you just want the sauce to thicken. For
the seasonings I'm adding in a pinch of
salt and an eighth of a teaspoon of
nutmeg. Giving that a good stir and
removing from the heat.
 
I have one egg that I'm going to temper
and add into the sauce. I'm whisking the
egg while I'm adding in three to four
tablespoons of the hot sauce. Keep
whisking and the egg and the sauce will
incorporate. Don't stop whisking because
you don't want the egg to cook. Then pour
the egg sauce mixture back into the pan
and continue stirring until mixed
thoroughly. The egg will help keep the
sauce firm and give the top a nice color.
 
I like to add a little cheese this is
four ounces of grated Monterey Jack and
I also have some Parmesan cheese. Giving
that a good stir until all the cheese is
melted.
I'm adding about a third of the
sauce to the pasta mixing well. This will
help flavor the pasta and keep it moist.
 
We are ready to assemble the casserole.
I have my oven preheating to 400 degrees
Fahrenheit.
First I'm adding in a ladle full of the
sauce to the bottom of my baking dish so
nothing sticks. About half of my pasta 
leveled out on the bottom and just give
it a gentle tamping. A little sprinkle of
cheese and a ladle full of Bechamel
sauce.
 
 
All of the seasoned meat is
leveled out in the middle.
 
And another
layer of grated cheese.
 
This is the rest
of the pasta. Again, just leveling and
tamping.
 
And finally, this is the rest of
the Bechamel sauce. Pouring over the top
and gently leveling.
This is going into a
preheated 400 degree fahrenheit oven for
35 to 40 minutes or until the casserole
is heated through and bubbly and golden
on top.
 
The smell is just amazing! Let the
casserole rest for at least 15 minutes
before cutting and serving. Everything is
extremely hot!
You can see the layers of
the pasta and meat and bechamel sauce on
top.
You can taste the garlic and thyme
and in the background the hints of the
cinnamon and nutmeg. The creamy Bechamel
sauce is absolutely delicious and takes
this casserole over the top. I hope you
give this Egyptian macaroni bechamel
casserole recipe a try and enjoy.
 
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Much Love!
 
