Easy Egyptian Macaroni Bechamel With Meat Sauce

EGYPTIAN MACARONI BECHAMEL

This is an Egyptian Macaroni Bechamel. A ground meat mixture between two layers of macaroni smothered in a creamy bachamel sauce. You can use any type of pasta you like.

The most common are Penne (which is my favorite) angel hair, spaghetti or elbow macaroni. I have a glass dish that is 8×11 and I prefer to bake in this dish because I like it to be a little thick, but if you like it to be a little thinner than that you can opt for the larger 9×13.

FOR THE PASTA

• 500g Penne pasta
• Water
• Salt, to taste

FOR THE MEAT SAUCE

• 500g Ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 ½ cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

• 1 ½ cup flour
• 1 ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ litres milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

FOR THE ASSEMBLY

• 1 cup grated mozzarella

Read also: This sausage green bean potato casserole

Egyptian Macaroni Bechamel Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degree F.

FOR THE PASTA

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 olive oil, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the meat and break it up using a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and the tomato sauce and simmer for 3-4 minutes. set aside.

FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE

Begin by melting the butter over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour while over heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes as you continuously whisk.
Pour the milk in slowly while continuing to whisk until the sauce is formed.

Egyptian Macaroni Bechamel, Assemble !

In a deep, large casserole dish, add the pasta. Add the meat mixture and mix together. Smooth out to create a layer. Add a layer of mozzarella.
Cover using all of the Bechamel sauce and smooth it out (for presentation).
Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 mins. Serve with a smile!

NOTES

This is generally a pretty simple recipe. There are some tips regarding the Bechamel sauce and pasta in the post, however as long as you follow the instructions, you should be good! I’d recommend playing around with the meat sauce to create a version of it that you really love!

Enjoy your Egyptian Macaroni Bechamel