For the Meat Sauce

Start by finely chopping the bacon, garlic, onion, carrot, and celery in a blender (or by hand).

Heat olive oil in a pot and brown the ground beef for 3–4 minutes on each side until cooked.

Add all the chopped ingredients and stir to soften them for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste and sauté it, stirring and rubbing it into the bottom of the pot for 1 minute.

Deglaze with cognac and let the alcohol evaporate.

Add the tomatoes (fresh or canned) and 1/2 cup water.

Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes without letting the sauce dry out.

The meat sauce should be juicy and rich. Toward the end, add the bay leaf and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. The sauce should remain quite juicy, so you may need to add a bit of hot water or stock.

Let the herbs infuse for 5 minutes, then remove them.

Easy Béchamel Sauce

Place all the ingredients in a pot cold (except the eggs). Stir frequently over medium-high heat until the mixture boils and thickens.

Once the béchamel has boiled, remove from heat. Let cool for 5–6 minutes, then add the beaten eggs and cheese.

Stir vigorously with a whisk to blend the eggs quickly into the cream.

Assembly
Boil the pasta in salted water 2–3 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain.

Add the rigatoni to the meat sauce along with half the béchamel and cheese. Stir to coat the pasta, then transfer to a buttered 25×38 cm baking dish or oven-safe dish.

Don’t worry if the sauces are a bit runny — the pasta will absorb them and turn out perfect. Pour over the remaining béchamel and use a fork to gently mix it into the pasta.

Unlike traditional pastitsio, this version isn’t layered — the béchamel fills the rigatoni holes and creates a burst of flavor with every bite.

Sprinkle the entire surface with the 3 tablespoons of kefalotyri and bake in a preheated convection oven at 180–200 ºC (350–390 ºF) for 30 minutes on the middle rack, until a light crust forms.

It won’t cut into clean pieces while hot — serve with a ladle while the cream is still flowing.

For a softer, more wobbly béchamel, add 1 more cup of milk to the mixture.