This makes a deep 9' x 13' casserole. If your casserole is shallow, make ¾ of the recipe.
Meat sauce
- 1⁄3 cup olive oil
- 2 green bell peppers
- 2 medium yellow onions
- pinch of salt
Core and seed the peppers. Mince them and the onions. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Sautee the peppers and onions until soft, 8–10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate and set aside.
- 400g (~1 lb) ground beef
- 2 Tbsp cinnamon powder, or less if the powder is strong
- 1 tsp salt
Add the ground meat, cinnamon powder, and salt to the pan and cook, breaking the meat into tiny pieces, until browned, 6–8 minutes.
- 1⁄2 tsp crushed red chile flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups (1 L) canned crushed/diced tomatoes
Add the onion mixture, chile flakes, bay leaves, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer. Cook without covering until the tomatoes are completely cooked and the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. You may need to add water a few times to prevent the sauce from burning.
Remove the sauce from the heat, discard the bay leaves and and let it cool.
Pasta
- 400-450g fusilli
- lots of salt
- 2 Tbsp butter
Grease a deep 9" x 13" baking dish with butter.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook until al dente. Strain out the pasta and mix into the meat sauce. Add 2-3 cups of the pasta water to coat all the pasta with the sauce. Set aside.
Béchamel
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup flour
- 4 cups milk
- 1 cup grated kashkaval
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ tsp salt
- Freshly grated nutmeg
Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook whisking constantly, until smooth and slightly toasted, 1–2 minutes.
Add the milk in batches, whisking between every addition and making sure it has all been absorbed by the flour before adding more. Cook the bechamel over medium heat until thickened 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the cheese and egg yolks. Season with salt and nutmeg. Stir until smooth and pour the béchamel over pasta spreading it evenly. The dish can be refrigerated for up to a day before baking.
Final bake
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.