Pastitsio

Pastitsio:

This is the ultimate Greek comfort food, a hearty casserole of cinnamon-spiked ground lamb baked with penne and a Parmesan cheese sauce.
Prep: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 8

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound penne, cooked and drained
• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 3 cups milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta, and drain; reserve. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, over medium heat, cook lamb, breaking apart pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2.     Transfer to a colander; drain fat, and discard. Return lamb to pan; add wine. Cook over medium heat until almost all liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

3.     Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon, and 2 cups water; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4.     Make Parmesan Cheese Sauce while mixture is simmering: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; whisk in flour until incorporated, about 30 seconds. In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

5.     Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne, if desired, and Parmesan.

6.     Add pasta to lamb mixture; transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over the top, smoothing with the back of a spoon until level. Bake until browned in spots, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool 15 minutes before serving.