Greek Meat Sauce Pasta

Begin by filling a large pot with salted water and placing it on the stovetop to reach its boiling point; cook the rotini pasta until it is tender but still retains a slight firmness when bitten into, approximately 8 minutes; remove from heat and drain the water.

To prepare the dish, transfer the cooked rotini to a spacious bowl and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat; cook and stir the ground beef until it reaches a browned state, around 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, an onion, water, tomato paste, cinnamon, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper; stir the ingredients together to create a harmonious blend.

Simply simmer the meat sauce over medium-low heat until all the flavors have melded together, taking approximately 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

Mix the meat sauce with the cooked rotini pasta; pour half of the pasta mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle it with half of each Mizithra cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Top the casserole dish with the remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle the remaining Mizithra cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Bake the dish in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and has reached a golden brown state, approximately 40 minutes.