Ingredients: for the Pasta
- 1 pound thin or thick rigatoni
- 4 tablespoons Ultra Premium Arbosana Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Ingredients: for the Meat Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Ultra Premium Arbosana Olive Oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound lean ground lamb
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
Ingredients: for the Béchamel
- 1/2 cup Ultra Premium Arbosana Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Add rigatoni and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Drain thoroughly and allow to cool slightly.
- Whisk 4 tablespoons California Arbosana with eggs, Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Pour over rigatoni and set aside.
- To make meat sauce heat olive olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Saute the onions until soft and transclucent.
- Increase heat and add ground beef and lamb and cook until the meat browns.
- Add the tomatoes, wine, broth, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
- To make the Arbosana béchamel, heat the olive oil in saucepan and stir in flour.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
- Pour in milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Boil gently for 1 minute.
- Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and cool slightly before stirring in beaten egg.
- Transfer 1/2 cup of the bechamel to the meat sauce.
- To assemble pastitsio, grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with one tablespoon Arbosana Olive Oil.
- Spoon half of the prepared rigatoni evenly in the bottom and top with meat sauce.
- Top that with remaining rigatoni.
- Pour on the remaining béchamel sauce and spread to completely cover rigatoni.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
Serves 8
Re-posted from the Veronica Foods blog.