Spinach Pastitsio - cooking recipe

Ingredients

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

Preparation

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.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
Combine milk and next 3 ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat to 180\u00b0F 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.
Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F.
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.
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.
Bake at 375\u00b0F for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.