Greek Pasta and Beef

We love Greek food.  Can't get enough hummus, moussaka, kabobs, etc.  Even our 7-month old gobbles up his pacifier dipped in hummus from our favorite Greek restaurant.

So.  I tried my hand at a Greek Pasta and Beef dish.  And mmmmmmm...

Here goes nothing!

For the beef mixture!

Macaroni, beef, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, egg, Parmesan cheese

Not pictured:  water

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion and garlic over medium heat.

Drain.

Add tomato sauce, water, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, egg, and parmesan cheese; set aside.

For the sauce:

Butter, flour, cinnamon, milk, egg, parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan, melt butter.

Stir in flour and cinnamon until smooth.

Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil - cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs.  Return all to pan, stirring constantly.

Stir in cheese.

In a greased baking dish, spread half the macaroni mixture.

Top with beef mixture.  (I forgot to snap a picture.)

Top with remaining macaroni mixture.

Pour sauce over the top.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nom your heart out!

Recipe:

Beef mixture:

8 ounces elbow macaroni

.5 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

4 ounces tomato sauce

.25 cup water

.5 teaspoon salt

.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon

.125 teaspoon ground nutmeg

.125 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

.5 cup butter

.25 cup flour

.125 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.5 cups milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

.33 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1)  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Drain macaroni.

2)  In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, egg, and Parmesan cheese; set aside.  In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and cinnamon until smooth.  Gradually add milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3)  Remove from the heat.  Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly.  Stir in cheese.

4)  In a greased 3-quart baking dish, spread half of the macaroni mixture.  Top with beef mixture and remaining macaroni mixture.  Pour sauce over the top.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Strength Modifier:

This was sooo good and filling!!

Intelligence Modifier:

This was extremely easy to put together!

Wisdom Modifier:

 We keep just about everything on hand except things like macaroni, so, it was still very easily obtainable.

Charisma Modifier:

We each at multiple bowls-full.  It was wonderful!

Constitution Modifier:

I used whole wheat macaroni and very lean ground beef, so it wasn't all bad.  Served with a nice salad, I don't think it would put a huge dent in anyone's diet plan.

Overall score:

The highest scoring dish we've made so far!  Would certainly make again!