Greek Lasagna Pastitsio

This is a creamy, tasty alternative to a red sauce lasagna. The recipe has been handed down through my aunt and it is sinfully good.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Yields: 2 large pans

Ingredients

• 2  lbs ziti pasta or 1  large penne
• 2  large onions, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 2 -3  lbs hamburger, finely chopped (or lamb)
• 3 -5  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 (14 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 -3  cups parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 -3  tablespoons cinnamon, ground
• 1  teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 1  teaspoon clove, ground
• 6  eggs
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 15  tablespoons flour, all purpose
• 1⁄2 gallon milk (whole or low fat)

Directions

1. Brown chopped meat and onions in a pan with a small amount of pure olive oil.
2. Drain off fat.
3. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to meat in pan.
4. Add finely minced garlic and cans of tomato sauce to meat and spices in pan.
5. Simmer sauce for 10 minutes.
6. Boil Ziti in large pasta pot until firm.
7. Strain Ziti and let cool for 10 minutes.
8. Add Ziti to large bowl.
9. Add meat mixture and Parmesan cheese to ziti.
10. Grease large lasagna baking pan 16x11x3inches.
11. Pour meat, ziti, cheese mixture into baking pan.
12. Make sure the mixture fills only half the height of the pan and the mixture is level. Use a wide spatula to gently press down the mixture in the pan so that it lays flat.
13. Make the cream sauce as described below.
14. Pour cream sauce over mixture in pan, covering the mix.
15. Cover edges of pan with foil to prevent over baking.
16. Bake in preheated 350degree oven for 45minutes to 1 hour until top is golden brown.
17. Sauce.
18. Combine 6 eggs and 1/2 quart milk in a bowl.
19. Melt 1 stick of butter in 6qt sauce pan.
20. With a mixer or fork mix 15 Tbsp flour to butter to melted butter.
21. On low heat, mix in 1 cup of egg/milk mixture to sauce pan, stirring continuously or use a mixer on very low setting until smooth (no lumps).
22. Slowly continue adding milk/egg mixture to sauce pan on low heat
23. Add remaining 1/2 quart of milk to sauce pan on low heat.
24. Leave on low heat stirring continuously until slightly thickened (should be the consistency of pancake batter).
25. No need to cool.
26. Add to meat mixture in baking pan.