Pastitsio

This is Greek comfort food. Pasta with beef, topped with a béchamel sauce. How can you go wrong? I found this recipe here.

I found pastitsio pasta here.

I found this cheese here. It has a sharp flavor! Warning: this is a BIG wheel of cheese. Be prepared!

Pastitsio

Meat Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion large, diced
2lbs ground beef
1 tsp nutmeg ground
2 bay leaves
black pepper
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp tomato paste
29oz tomato puree
⅓ cup boiling water

Pasta
boiling water salted
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bag Pasticcio pasta no. 2
1 tbsp butter

Béchamel Sauce 
4 ¼ cups milk
½ cup flour
3 tbsp butter
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
A pinch of nutmeg
¼ cup Kefalotyri cheese grated

Add while Assembling
½ cup Kefalotyri cheese grated

HOW TO PREPARE:
Meat Sauce
Pour olive oil and butter into a hot pan over a high heat

Add chopped onion and continue to cook about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.

Add ground beef and cook about 5 minutes until brown all over. Add nutmeg,
bay leaves, allspice, salt and pepper and continue to cook one minute. Add the tomato paste and tomato purée. Continue to cook a few minutes.

Add water, mix and reduce heat to low. Continue to cook covered about 5 to 10 minutes until you have a thick sauce consistency.

Pasta
Fill two-thirds (2/3) of a pot with water. Add olive oil and salt. Bring to a boil.
Add the Pasticcio pasta or lasagna pasta. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes less than the time indicated on the pasta package. The pasta will still be a bit firm, as it will cook further in the oven. Strain the pasta. Add a little butter so the pasta doesn't stick to each other. Put aside.

Béchamel
In a pot, mix with a whisk the milk, flour, butter, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. All ingredients should be cold or at room temperature. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent lumps.

Put the pot over a medium heat on the stove. Continue heating and stirring until you see small bubbles on top. Reduce heat and continue stirring until you reach a sauce consistency (like pancake batter). Remember, the sauce will probably thicken a little more when baking in the dish. Remove from heat. Add the cheese and mix.

Assembling the Dish
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter lightly a baking dish. Add half of the
pasta on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle a couple pinches of grated
cheese. Add all the meat sauce on top of the pasta. Sprinkle a couple pinches of grated cheese. Add the remaining half of the pasta on top. Sprinkle a couple pinches of grated cheese. Pour all the béchamel sauce on top. Make sure everything is covered with the sauce. Put the baking dish into the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly brown on top. Serve and enjoy!