Light Beef Pastitsio

📝 Ingredients

• 400 g dried tube pasta (macaroni or penne)
• 600 g minced beef, 5% fat
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g) + 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 2 tbsp tomato purée (about 35 g)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 700 ml semi-skimmed milk + 50 g cornflour (for the béchamel)
• 2 eggs (1 for the pasta, 1 for the béchamel)
• 80 g grated Parmesan (20 g for the pasta, 30 g for the béchamel, 30 g for the top)
• Nutmeg, salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Sauté pan
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Baking dish (20 × 30 cm)

📖 Steps

1. Chop the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in the sauté pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 min, until soft and translucent, then add the garlic and stir for 30 s, without letting it brown.
2. Turn the heat up to high, add the beef and break it up with the spatula for 5 to 6 min, until it is no longer pink and starts to brown. Add the tomato purée, cinnamon and oregano, stir for 1 min, then pour in the chopped tomatoes.
3. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 min over a low heat, uncovered, stirring from time to time, until the sauce is thick and almost no liquid remains: a sauce that's too runny would make the bake soggy.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C and cook the pasta in the large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 min less than the packet instructions. Drain, wait 2 min, then mix with 1 beaten egg and 20 g of Parmesan: this binds the pasta together as it bakes.
5. Make the béchamel: mix the cornflour into 200 ml of cold milk. Bring the remaining 500 ml to a simmer in the saucepan, pour in the cornflour mixture while whisking and cook for 2 to 3 min over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until the béchamel thickens and coats the whisk.
6. Off the heat, leave to cool for 2 min, then whisk in the second beaten egg, 30 g of Parmesan, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper. The béchamel should be smooth and as thick as custard.
7. In the dish, spread half the pasta, then all the beef sauce in an even layer, then the rest of the pasta. Cover with the béchamel, pushing it right to the edges, and sprinkle with the remaining 30 g of Parmesan.
8. Bake for 35 to 40 min, until the top is nicely browned in places. Leave to rest for 15 min out of the oven before cutting into 6 portions: the bake holds together better and the layers stay neat.