BAKED PASTA WITH MEAT FILLING (Derived from a recipe in Food Day magazine)
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Preheat oven to 350 'F. Spray a 9" X 12" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preparation 1/2 cup butter (2 sticks) 1/4 cup all-purpose flour In a heavy saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, until thick; remove from heat and set aside. 4 cups milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg Salt to taste Heat milk in microwave 1 cup at a time, on high power, until very hot, but not boiling, about 2 minutes. Add each cup to the roux, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and heat very carefully to thicken, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and creamy. Watch carefully for evidence of burning on the bottom of the pan, and remove from heat immediately if found. Don't scrape up any of the burned sauce by stirring. Continue cooking in another pan if necessary. Set aside 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 lb lean ground beef 16 oz garlic spaghetti sauce Heat olive oil in a large heavy fry pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until yellow and soft. Add hamburger and cook until no longer pink. Drain. Mix with the spaghetti sauce and set aside. 1 lb macaroni Salt Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Mix the reserved milk sauce into the pasta. Assembly 1 cup grated parmesan cheese Layer half the macaroni-sauce mixture in the bottom of the baking pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the macaroni layer. Over that, spread the meat mixture evenly. Layer the remaining macaroni-sauce mixture over the meat mixture, and top with remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. Let set 15 minutes, covered with tin foil, before serving, but best if made a day ahead, refrigerated, and then baked again.