Macarona bechamel – Egyptian baked pasta with bechamelfeatured

Macarona bechamel is the quintessential Egyptian comfort food. Penne or rigatoni is bathed in silky bechamel sauce and layered with spiced meat and tomato sauce, then topped with a thick layer of more creamy bechamel sauce. It’s then baked to bubbly and crusty perfection.

What is macarona bechamel?

Egyptians LOVE bechamel sauce and use it on so many casserole dishes. It’s so typical to the cuisine that I grew up thinking ‘bechamel’ was an Arabic word. Well, apparently it’s kind of a French thing, but Egyptians sure know how to use it.

This macarona bechamel was yet another of my childhood favorites, and its a dish that my family really loves.

Its a layered pasta dish, commonly made with penne or similar pasta, with a creamy bechamel white sauce, and a layer of spiced tomatoey meat and onions in the middle.

It’s super flavourful, rich and comforting and it pairs perfectly with some bright and acidic salata balady salad, which balances the richness.

Making macarona bechamel

There are four main steps to making macarona bechamel:

1. Make the bechamel sauce
2. Make the meat filling
3. Cook your pasta
4. Assemble and bake

1. Making your bechamel sauce

I like to start by making the bechamel sauce first. This is because it can take some time to thicken up while simmering, and I also like to let it cool for a bit once it is done before assembling the dish to ensure its had some time to thicken up further.

To make your bechamel sauce, start by making a roux. To do this, you will melt butter in a large pot and add an equal amount of flour. Then, you will whisk it continuously until it turns golden and develops a nutty aroma.

At that point you will begin adding milk, bit by bit, whisking after each addition.

You will notice that when you first start adding milk, the mixture with seize up and become very thick.

Whisk continuously as you add more and more milk. The mixture will loosen up considerably.

Once all your milk is added, season your bechamel sauce and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.

Cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

I like to start on cooking the meat mixture while the bechamel simmers. Be sure to keep a close eye on it though.

You do not want it to boil rapidly or to scorch on the bottom of the pot.

If you do end up burning some of the sauce on the bottom of the pot, its ok, just make sure not to scrape up any burned bits into the sauce.

Adding beaten eggs at this point will help to bind the casserole. You can do this by whisking the eggs in a small bowl, then adding some bechamel sauce to the eggs to temper them. Mix them thoroughly then add back to the pot.

2. Make the meat filling

The next thing you will do is make the meat filling.

You can use ground beef or lamb, which you will cook with warm spices, onions, garlic, and tomato sauce.

To this mixture you will add a couple beaten eggs at the end, this will help your casserole hold together when you cut into it.

3. Cook your pasta

Next, you will cook your pasta. I recommend cooking it slightly less than the package says to cook it for al dente. For example, if the package says cook for 10-11 minutes for al dente, cook it for 9 minutes.

This is because, once assembled, the macarona bechamel will get baked for about an hour, and you don’t want your pasta to be mushy by the time it’s done.

4. Assemble and bake your macarona bechamel

First, lay out slightly more than half of your cooked pasta in the bottom of your baking dish. Add some bechamel sauce, bit by bit, until the pasta is well-coated in the sauce.

Then, add your meat mixture on top. Smooth it out.

Add the remaining pasta on top of the meat mixture in an even layer.

Then, pour bechamel sauce on top for a thick creamy layer. If any pasta floats up, make sure to push it down so its submerged in bechamel.

Bake for about an hour at 400 degrees F, until it is bubbling and golden with some dark, delicious patches.

For added color, place under the broiler for a few minutes.

Allow the macarona bechamel to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Bel hana wel shifa! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Macarona bechamel – Egyptian baked macaroni with bechamel sauce

This Egyptian baked macaroni dish is the perfect comfort food. Penne or rigatoni is bathed in silky bechamel sauce and layered with spiced meat and tomato sauce, then topped with a thick layer of more creamy bechamel sauce. It’s then baked to bubbly and crusty perfection.

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Egyptian

Keyword: baked pasta, bechamel sauce, casserole, ground meat, pasta

Author: Dahlia

Equipment

• Deep 9 x 13″ baking dish, or baking dish with equivalent volume

Ingredients

For the meat

• olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef or lamb
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp allspice ground
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or ½ tsp chili flakes, optional
• ½ tsp cardamom ground
• ½ tsp cinnamon ground
• 4 TBS tomato paste
• 3 TBS parsley finely chopped
• 2 eggs whole, beaten

Pasta

• 1 lb penne or rigatoni

For bechamel sauce

• 8 TBS butter
• 8 TBS AP flour
• 8 cups whole milk
• salt
• white pepper substitute black pepper if necessary
• allspice or nutmeg
• 2 eggs beaten

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

For the bechamel sauce

• Start by making your roux- Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once melted add flour and whisky quickly until there are no lumps.
• Continue whisking until the roux turn golden brown and develop a nutty aroma. Don’t let it burn!
• Begin adding your milk bit by bit, about half a cup to a cup at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition to ensure no lumps develop. Once about half the milk has been added, you can simply add the remaining half all at once. Continue stirring.
• Add salt and pepper and a pinch of either nutmeg or allspice. Taste the sauce to make sure it is well seasoned.
• Allow the sauce to come up to a boil for a minute then reduce to a gentle simmer.
• Whisk your eggs in a small bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of bechamel to the eggs and whisk until smooth, then add to your bechamel sauce and stir in thoroughly.
• Cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

For the meat

• Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan then add ground meat. Cook while breaking up any large pieces until the meat begins to brown.
• Add onions and spices. Once onions soften add garlic and saute a few minutes longer.
• Add tomato paste and saute 2-3 minutes longer.
• Add enough water to just cover the meat. Mix and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes and turn off heat.
• Add parsley and beaten eggs and mix well.

For the pasta

• Cook pasta according to package instructions, but cook for a minute less than al dente. For example, if the package recommends 10-11 minutes for al dente, cook it for 9 minutes.
• Strain and return to pot.

Assembly and baking

• Grease your baking dish and lay slightly more than half of the pasta into the an even layer.
• Add the meat mixture and smooth is out evenly.
• Add the remaining pasta in an even layer.
• Pour remaining bechamel sauce over the pasta.
• Bake until the top is bubbling and golden with some dark spots, about an hour.
• You can cook the macarona bechamel briefly under the broiler for additional color.

Notes

When making your bechamel sauce, you want to avoid burning the milk. If your milk seems to be burning turn down the heat a bit. If some burned milk is sticking to the bottom of the pot make sure you don’t scrap it off when whisking. It will only cause you problems if you scrape it off into the sauce!