Pastitsio

Pastitsio
(Recipe adapted from Family Circle's Hometown Cooking cookbook)

Prep time: about 1 hour
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

Meat Sauce-

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 cinnamon stick

Pasta Mixture-

• 1/2 pound penne pasta
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cream Sauce-

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup shredded Kasseri (or Romano) cheese

Directions:

For the meat sauce-Brown the beef and onions, cooking until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender. Add the cinnamon stick, tomato sauce and wine. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, discard cinnamon stick and set aside.

For the pasta mixture-Cook pasta according to the directions on the packaging. Drain, rinse and repeat. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk and melted butter. Stir in the pasta and set the mixture aside.

For the cream sauce-In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add flour, salt and pepper and stir til smooth over medium heat, creating a roux. Slowly add the milk and stir until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. In another bowl whisk together three eggs. Very slowly add the hot mixture to the eggs, tempering them.

To create the dish-Layer half the pasta mixture in a prepared 11.5x8.5x2 pan. Spread meat mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of cheese. Top with remaining pasta, and sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese. Pour cream sauce over all, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover, and cook for another 15-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. When dish is finished cooking, let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces rigatoni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced (I like chicken & apple sausage)
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions
2. Meanwhile, heat the oli in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onlion, stirring often, for three minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and 1 1/4 cups water and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Toss the pasta with the sausage mixture and any remaining liquid and the Parmesan.

Source: Real Simple/September 2009

My notes:
I use about half the pasta in the recipe and double the sausage. I steam the broccoli while the onions and sausage are cooking, add a little of the water I steamed the broccoli in along with the broccoli to the onion/sausage mixture. Then I throw in the cooked pasta and toss it all together with the cheese. Also, I like to use chicken and apple sausage.

The boys aren't big fans of this, but I love it!