Spinach Pastitsio

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 lb ground round
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
• 4 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 12 black peppercorns
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons light butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated, divided
• cooking spray

Recipe

• 1 cook beef, onion, and carrot in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. drain well; return meat mixture to pan. add tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and next 4 ingredients;bring to a boil. reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, 28 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally.
• 2 cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
• 3 combine milk and next 3 ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. cook over medium-high heat to 180°f or until tiny bubbles form around edge(do not boil). remove from heat. cover; let stand 10 minutes. strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. set milk mixture aside.
• 4 preheat oven to 375°f.
• 5 melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. add flour, stirring well with a whisk. cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. gradually add milk mixture, stirring well with a whisk;cook over medium heat until thick (about 10 minutes). stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. remove form heat; stir in 1/2 cup cheese. reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce.
• 6 combine pasta and remaining cheese sauce. spoon half of pasta mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with a cooking spray. spoon meat mixture over pasta. top with remaining pasta mixture. pour reserved cheese sauce evenly over pasta layer. sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.
• 7 bake at 375°f for 25 minutes or until bubbly. let stand for 10 minutes before serving.