At this stage, the sauce should be smooth but relatively loose. Raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately reduce the heat to low and continue simmering until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth like gravy, about 1 minute. Melt the butter and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the butter stops spurting and quiets down, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the empty pot to the stove (no need to clean it) and set over medium heat.Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until just past al dente. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt.Spread half the pasta into baking dish Add the meat layer Add the rest of the pasta Cover with remaining bechamel sauceīake for about an hour at 425F, until it is bubbling and golden with some dark, delicious patches. Then you will toss your pasta with some of the sauce and layer in a baking dish. Adding beaten eggs at this point will again help to bind the casserole. Once all your milk is added, season your bechamel sauce and bring to a boil and turn off the heat. At that point you will begin adding milk, bit by bit, whisking after each addition. You’ll melt butter in a large pot, and add flour, continuously whisking until it turns golden and develops a nutty aroma. Then, it’s time to make your bechamel sauce. This is because once assembled this will get baked for about an hour, and you don’t want your pasta to be mushy by the time it’s done. For example, if the package says cook for 10-11 minutes for al dente, cook it for 9 minutes.

I recommend cooking it slightly less than the package says to cook it for al dente. 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. You can use ground beef or lamb, which you will cook with warm spices, onions, garlic, and tomato sauce. The first thing you will do is make the meat filling. This dish is pretty straightforward to put together. It’s super flavourful, rich and comforting and it pairs perfectly with some bright and acidic salata balady salad, which balances the richness. This macarona bil bechamel was yet another of my childhood favourites, and its a dish that my family really loves. Well, apparently it’s kind of a French thing, but Egyptians sure know how to use it. It’s so typical to the cuisine that I grew up thinking ‘bechamel’ was an Arabic word.

It’s then baked to bubbly and crusty perfection.Įgyptians LOVE bechamel sauce and use it on so many casserole dishes.

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. This Egyptian baked macaroni dish is the perfect comfort food.

Bechamel macaroni