My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Bechamel Pasta Bake (Macarona Bechamel)
Macarona Bechamel is a classic Egyptian pasta bake layered with savory meat sauce, creamy béchamel, and penne pasta—baked to golden, bubbly perfection. This classic Middle Eastern comfort food is rich, hearty, and always a favorite in my home. Think lasagna vibes, but with a uniquely Egyptian twist!
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I have my Egyptian childhood friends to thank for introducing me to this iconic dish, along with Egyptian goulash (a must make!).
Macarona Bechamel resembles Italian Lasagna, but my recipe uses ground beef seasoned with warm spices which gives it that classic Arabic flavour. This casserole is almost always on my table (along with moussaka and eggplant casserole) when I’m hosting, because it’s wonderful to make it the day before, then simply bake before serving.
Bechamel sauce: As a novice cook, I used to be intimidated by the sound of bechamel. But after experimenting and testing this recipe multiple times, I realized that if you have a whisk, it’ll all come together quite easily.
Let’s Make Macarona Bechamel
Grab the ingredients!
Start by boiling the pasta in salted water until al dente, then make the meat sauce.
Next, prepare the Bechamel sauce. Melt butter in a deep pan, then slowly add in the flour and continuously whisk to create a roux. Cook the flour, whisking continuously for 3-4 minutes, then slowly add in the milk.
Typical bechamel instructions will have you warming up the milk, but I use cold milk and never experience any lumps, as long as you keep whisking it.
Also – using chicken stock instead of water for the Bechamel is what makes this recipe truly stand out. It adds so much flavour!
Continue whisking as you add in the milk then follow it by the chicken stock. Allow the sauce to thicken for about 5-7 minutes while whisking. Add the seasoning and check the sauce by coating the back of a spoon and running your finger through it – it should remain separated (see video below).
Now it’s time to layer. Mix the drained pasta with a bit of the Bechamel sauce (about 1 cup). In a large deep casserole, add a spoonful of the Bechamel sauce, then add half of the pasta.
Cover it with all of the meat mixture and smooth it out to an even layer. Add the second half of the pasta, then pour all of the remaining sauce on top.
Cover it with foil and bake it at 375 F for 45 minutes. Uncover it and broil it for 15 minutes to get some browning on the top.
Allow it to stand for 10 minutes before serving it.
Make Ahead Instructions (Best Part About This Dish)
Macarona Bechamel is perfect if you’re looking for a make-ahead dish. You have two options here. You can assemble everything and refrigerate it the day before, then bake it before serving.
Or you can assemble everything and cover it well with Aluminium foil then freeze it. Before baking, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge. Both methods will work great!
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Bechamel Pasta Bake (Macarona Bechamel)
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 600 grams Penne pasta
- Water
- Salt
For the meat sauce:
- 700 grams lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the Bechamel sauce:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 litre milk
- 1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water, or 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F
- Start by boiling the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside
- For the meat sauce, finely dice the onion and cook in a pan with the vegetable oil, stirring occasionally until softened for about 5 minutes
- Add the meat and break it up using a wooden spoon and cook until browned, for about 5-7 minutes
- Add all the spices, salt and the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside
- Make the bechamel sauce by melting the butter over medium heat
- Add the flour in a few tablespoons at a time and continue whisking as you do this to form a roux. Cook for 3-4 minutes as you continuously whisk
- Warm the milk by heating in the microwave for a few seconds until its room temperature or slightly warmer (you don’t need it to be hot). Cold milk works too but warm milk is easier to incorporate
- Pour the milk in slowly while continuously whisking. The sauce may look lumpy but don’t worry – keep pouring in the milk and whisking. If you feel your sauce is catching on the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down to medium low
- When milk is finished, add in the chicken stock and continue to whisk for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Check by coating the back of a spoon and running your finger through it – it should stay separated
- Mix the pasta with roughly 1 cup of the Bechamel sauce
- In a deep, large casserole dish, add a tablespoon of Bechamel sauce and spread it around, then add half the pasta
- Add all of the meat mixture on top and even out the layer, then add the remaining pasta
- Cover with all of the Bechamel sauce and smooth it out – you should have enough sauce to cover the whole thing well
- Cover the casserole with aluminium foil and bake at 375F for 45 mins. Uncover and broil for 15 minutes to brown the top
- Allow the pasta to cool for 15-20 minutes to set, then cut into pieces and enjoy
Notes
- Chicken stock is optional. If you don’t have it, just use more milk
- For the Bechamel, use warm milk to make it easier to incorporate into the roux
- You can layer this dish ahead of time, then either refrigerate and use the next day or freeze and thaw overnight in the fridge before baking
Can you clarify, is this two sticks of butter for the bechamel? Usually to make a sauce it’s around 3-4 tablespoons.
Hi Jillian! Yes this is two sticks of butter. Since the recipe makes quite a large casserole, there has to be enough bechamel to cover the whole thing. If you are making a smaller amount you can halve or quarter the recipe. Let me know if you have anymore questions!
Easy to follow and delicious. I added some mozzarella cheese to the top and it was great!
Awesome – so glad you liked it Yasmin! Thanks for the feedback.
Amina, I was freaking out the whole time I was making this, thinking I would mess it all up. It turned out amazing! The whole family loved it. Instructions are clear too! A little taste of home away from home. Thank you for this recipe. 😃👍
Why is the bechamel so thick? I make bechamel all the time but this is super thick.
Bechamel is typically made with a 1:1 ratio of flour to butter, and with the specific milk ratio I specify in the recipe. For this dish, we do want a thick layer of bechamel so it stays on top and forms a crust – we don’t want a thin sauce that will seep into the pasta! Hope that helps.
Salam Amina, 1:1 based on volume or weight?
When going by volume: 1tbsp flour weighs 7.5grams, and 1tbsp butter is 14grams. So that would be to 2:1-ish by weight, 1:1 by volume.
Which do you feel is more correct?
Jzk
Hi Mostafa – it is a 1:1 ratio by volume, hence 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of butter. Hope that helps!
Perfect and easy! Ive replaced lasagna with this dish as my husband prefers it. I used to be intimidated by bechamel but i had no issues recreating this. I only halved the recipe because its a lot for two people wed be eating from it all week.
I am so glad it was a success Cindy! Thanks for the review!
Amazing dish and the instructions were perfect
So glad you enjoyed it Kelsey!
I’m wondering if this can be made without meat. I love this but became vegetarian and miss a lot these sorts of dishes as a result.
Hey, yes I would say you have two options here: use vegetarian meat/soja minced meat and just prepare it as if it would be meat (add the same spices and tomato sauce) or simply add vegetables of your taste instead of meat. Thats what I am usually doing, leaving the meat out and adding whichever vegetables I like (here, mushrooms, broccoli, eggplant or bellpepper would fit imo). The bechamel is the star of the show anyway.
My favourite macarona béchamel recipe, so good the kids ask for seconds (and thirds!)
Not sue why this has 5 stars.
Waist of time.
1cup flour, maybe that was a typo
Hi! A bechamel sauce typically has a 1:1 ratio of flour and butter, so 1 cup of butter needs 1 cup of flour. But ensure you also use the stated 1 litre of milk to get a silky and smooth sauce. Can you elaborate more on what went wrong for you? Perhaps I can help you troubleshoot.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I tweaked it a bit by adding some beef broth to the ground beef and salt. I used oat milk for the bechamel as I didn’t have regular milk. This recipe’s a keeper.
So good to know that oat milk works well! Glad you enjoyed it!
Omg i made this today.. so im from pakistan. And i wanted authentic bechamel pasta (the kind that arabic neighbors send for iftar). Sofar iv hated trying out my own understanding of bechamel macarona cz (1) i hated the knorr bechamel sauce packets taste (2) the aftertaste of butter and flour mixed together irked me in standard white sauces (3) i can never quite get the meat cooked right either.. i followed your recipe exactly (except i couldnt help adding more spices in the meat cz of my pakistani spice palette lol).. and it was perfect.. no nutty after taste, meat was tender, macarona perfectly spaced together, bechamel was awesome too! Jazak Allah
Aww I’m so glad you made this and enjoyed it! Glad I was able to bring you back to that authentic Arabic taste!
Very delicious
I made this dish and it was all I hoped for! So delicious and velvety. My question is this: after baking and placing in fridge… can I freeze small portions for later? I’m not sure how if this will ruin it? Thank you for all your recipes I just love them!
Wow! First time making it with bachamel sauce and it was just perfect! Super velvety smooth and delicious.
My family REALLY enjoys this recipe.
Since there is no good way to add my notes to an online recipe, if you don’t mind if I add them here. Maybe someone else can benefit from them.
Great for meal prep as this gets 3- 9×9 and 2- small rectangle casserole dishes. The shallow ones.
Love the bechamel. Always have doubled it. Will triple it next time. Use the not mentioned roux technique. Timing.
Use 1.5 for tomatoes, cinnamon, and allspice.
When using ground lamb or other gamey meat, saute the meat till brown then add milk to cover and completely cook that down. Then add wine or substitute to cover and cook that down completely. Then continue with recipe for non gamey taste.
Thank you for this recipe! I make this recipe a few times a year and we are always really impressed by it.
Hi Shannon! I’m so glad you love this recipe. And thanks so much for your notes, I’m sure they will be very helpful for other readers.
Thank you for this great recipe! This is one of the best versions of Macarona Béchamel I’ve seen! I’m Egyptian myself, so I’ve eaten my fair share of Macarona Béchamel in my 39 years, and it has ranged from truly awful to very good, and most recipes falling at “truly awful”. Some will omit tomato sauce (no flavor), some will tell you not to cover the dish in the oven, but then it gets terribly dry. This recipe however was truly creamy and full of flavor!
Only the amount of meat was far too much in my opinion (but that’s a personal thing). I reduced it to 400 grams and filled up to the required 700 grams by adding chopped carrot and onion. In this way it’s still meaty enough but also adds some veggies, which also adds some flavor.
I’ve also done a vegetarian version that was very good as well, in case anyone is interested: I replaced the 400 grams of meat with 400 grams of cooked green lentils and added a spoonful of Balsamico and a spoonful of soy sauce for the meaty/umami taste.
This recipe is a keeper. My kids who are usually picky regarding any food with white sauce LOVED it and they keep asking me to make it. I think we made it a couple of times and I always make sure to cook more and freeze for when I need a quick dinner for them. I totally forgot to review/rate this recipe, but anyone looking for a bechamel pasta recipe should use yours, it’s not too heavy where you can’t finish your plate, just the right amount of ingredients.
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback Mai! Truly happy you and the kids all enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Amina,
Do you use salted or unsalted butter to make the Bechamel sauce?
Thanks! 🙂
I typically use unsalted, but salted works too. Just make sure you taste it before you add the salt!
As an egyptian I make this all the time but the bechamel is always a nightmare to make until I followed your recipe! Spot on and came out perfect! Thank you 😊
Woohoo! So glad this is a reliable recipe for you 🙂 Love this one!
I have made this twice so far, it’s soo good and great for a gathering! Everyone who tried it loved it. Thank you so much Amina for your great recipes!!