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Pastitsio (Greek Pasta Bake)
Recipe video above. Greece's answer to Italian Lasagna! This traditional Greek dish is made with layers of pasta topped with a rich meat sauce perfumed with a hint of cinnamon and clove, topped with a thick layer of cheese sauce.For the neat layers pictured, arrange the pasta so they're all going in one direction, and rest the baked Pastitsio for 15 minutes before slicing. Excellent for making ahead (keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge) and freezes very well!
👥 8 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 2h 15m⏳ Prep: 15 min🔥 Cook: 2h👤 Nagi📖 recipetineats
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●stove
- ●saucepan
- ●whisk
- ●wooden spoon
- ●oven
- ●baking dish
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Meat Sauce:
2
Heat in a large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for ⏱️ 2 - 3 minutes until onion is softened. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it changes from red to brown.
3
Add wine and and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated - about ⏱️ 3 minutes.
4
Add remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Stir well, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium / medium low so it's simmering gently. Cook for ⏱️ 45 min to ⏱️ 1 hour until liquid is mostly gone, stirring every now and then. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid, not saucy like Spaghetti Bolognese (Note 4).
5
Remove from stove and cool. Preferably to room temperature, otherwise for at least ⏱️ 30 minutes before assembling (lid off).
6
Greek Béchamel (Note 5):
7
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir for ⏱️ 1 minute.
8
While stirring, slowly pour half the milk in. It should turn into a wet paste. Then again, while stirring, pour in remaining milk - the paste should easily dissolve so it's lump-free. If not, just whisk vigorously.
9
Cook, stirring so the base doesn't catch, for ⏱️ 5 minutes or until thick enough so it coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
10
Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
11
Leave to cool for ⏱️ 5 minutes. Then whisk in egg yolks quickly. Place lid on and set aside. If sauce cools and gets too thick to pour, just reheat on a low stove until pourable.
egg yolks (egg whites are used in the pasta)2
12
Pasta (Note 6):
13
When you're ready to assemble, cook the pasta per packet instructions, minus ⏱️ 1 minute.
14
Drain, then return to the pot. Leave to cool for ⏱️ 3 minutes, then stir through egg whites. Gently stir through crumbled feta.
egg whites (yolks used in Béchamel)2
15
Assemble and bake:
16
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
17
Place pasta in a baking dish (33 x 22 x 7 cm / 9 x 13 x 2.75"), arranging them so they are all going in the same direction as best you can (for visual effect when sliced). Make the surface as level as you can.
18
Top with Meat Sauce, then smooth the surface.
19
Pour over Béchamel Sauce, then sprinkle over the cheese.
20
Bake ⏱️ 30 min or until crust turns golden.
21
Cool for at least ⏱️ 10 minutes so you can cut neat slices with the layers neatly visible. Serve!
Nutrition Facts
calories
597 kcal
fat Content
28 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
4 g
sugar Content
7 g
sodium Content
1062 mg
protein Content
35 g
trans Fat Content
1 g
cholesterol Content
137 mg
carbohydrate Content
48 g
saturated Fat Content
13 g
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