It's the ultimate in comfort food, isn't it? There are so many different variations from the stove top type, oven-baked, some incorporate chicken, or ground beef, some call for tomato soup. Sometimes I add a bit of several cheeses -- cheddar, parmesan (freshly grated), lots of pepper and saute' some mushrooms and toss them in. Or I'll make a non-traditional recipe like this one, called.Pastitsio Pie. It's creamy, a Greek ground beef and macaroni casserole with a hint of cinnamon. Scores 10 on the comfort food scale.
2 cups macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp each, dried oregano, cinnamon and salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can (14 oz/398 mL) stewed tomatoes
1 can (5-1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
Pinch each nutmeg,salt and pepper
In saucepan of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until tender but firm. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain again and set aside. Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet, melt 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) of the butter over medium heat; cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Stir in beef, oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and vinegar; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley. Set aside.
Sauce: In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking, for 2 minutes; without browning. Pour in milk; cook, whisking, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat;stir in cottage cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Grease 10-inch (25 cm) pie plate with remaining 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) butter; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Spoon in half of the macaroni. Spread meat mixture evenly over top; sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan. Spoon remaining macaroni over top; carefully pour sauce over macaroni. (Can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes; add 10 minutes to baking time.) Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake on baking sheet in 350 degree F (180 degrees C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until top is golden.
Makes 6 servings.
Per serving: about 595 calories, 43 g protein, 27 g fat, 47 g
carbohydrate, high source fibre, excellent source calcium and iron.