Main Dishesbonappetit4.7
Pastitsio
This hearty Greek pasta bake is packed with impressive-looking layers of chewy giant noodles, spiced meat, and a creamy, cheesy béchamel to top it all off.
👥 8 Servings👤 Kendra Vaculin📖 bonappetit
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●dutch oven
- ●wooden spoon
- ●oven
- ●baking dish
- ●bowl
- ●saucepan
- ●whisk
📝 Preparation Steps
1
sauce
2
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Cook 2 finely chopped large red onions, 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and 2 lb. ground beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and beef is browned, 10–⏱️ 15 minutes.
. extra-virgin olive oil2 Tbsplarge red onions, finely chopped2. ground beef2 lb
3
Add 2 bay leaves, 3 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¾ tsp. ground cumin, ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon, and ¼ tsp. ground cloves to pot; season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tomato paste and spices are evenly distributed, about ⏱️ 4 minutes. Add ¾ cup red wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost completely evaporated, about ⏱️ 3 minutes. Add one 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes and 2 cups low-sodium beef broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick and meaty (most of the liquid should have cooked off), 45–⏱️ 60 minutes. Taste and season with salt. Let cool until almost room temperature, about ⏱️ 30 minutes. Do ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill. Reheat slightly (it will heat through when baked), adding a little broth or water to loosen just enough to make it spreadable.
bay leaves2. double-concentrated tomato paste3 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more2 tspKosher saltFreshly ground black pepper28-oz. can crushed tomatoes1low-sodium beef broth2 cups
4
BÉchamel and assembly
5
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook 1 lb. pastitsio noodles or 12 oz. bucatini in a large pot of boiling salted water until very al dente, about ⏱️ 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water to cool. Transfer to a 13x9" baking dish.
. pastitsio noodles (such as Loi macaroni) or 12 oz. bucatini1 lb
6
Working one at a time, separate yolks from 2 room-temperature large eggs over a small bowl to catch egg whites. Place yolks in another small bowl; set aside. Beat egg whites to blend well. Add egg whites to noodles and toss to coat (this will help the noodles form a sliceable layer in the final dish). Arrange noodles in straight lines, all facing the same direction, as best you can.
large eggs, room temperature2
7
Melt 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and whisk until flour is combined and mixture is light and frothy, about ⏱️ 3 minutes. Add 3 cups room-temperature milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 6–⏱️ 8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 5 oz. finely grated kasseri or Romano cheese. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (be sure to taste after whisking in the cheese; depending on the kind of cheese you use, you may not need to add any salt). Beat reserved egg yolks to blend, then whisk into béchamel.
. unsalted butter5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour5 Tbspmilk, room temperature3 cupsFreshly ground black pepper
8
Spoon meat sauce over noodles in baking dish, then top with béchamel, smoothing into an even layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 oz. finely grated kasseri or Romano cheese on top. Bake pastitsio until starting to brown around the edges and top is set (it will still be a little jiggly, but will continue to firm up as it cools), 35–⏱️ 40 minutes.
9
Heat broiler. Broil until top of pastitsio is browned in spots, about ⏱️ 4 minutes. Let sit at least ⏱️ 30 minutes before slicing. Do ahead: Pastitsio can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Reviews & Ratings
Share your thoughts and feedback about this recipe
Write a Review
Community Feedback
0 ReviewsLoading reviews...