Pastitsio {Greek Pasta Bake}

piece of pastitsio being taken out of pan

4.98 from 43 votes

Pastitsio {Greek Pasta Bake}

Pastitsio is a Greek pasta bake, often referred to as Greek Lasagna. Made with pasta, a hearty beef ragu and bechamel sauce, it's a delicious dish your family will love.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 40

Total Time1 55

Course: Entree, pasta course

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Servings:

Calories: 609kcal

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves cloves finely minced
2 onions finely chopped
2 lb ground beef lean
¾ cup red wine dry is preferable
28 oz crushed tomato
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Bechamel Sauce

7 tablespoon unsalted butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk room temperature
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated if possible
½ teaspoon salt
3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese finely shredded (Romano or parmesan can be substituted)
2 large egg yolks save the egg whites for the pasta

Pasta

14 oz bucatini
4 oz feta cheese crumbled
2 large egg whites

Topping

3 oz Kefalotyri Greek cheese sub parmesan or Romano , finely grated

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Meat Sauce

Add the olive oil, chopped garlic cloves, and onion to a large pot (or Dutch oven) over high heat
Let them cook for 2 – 3 minutes, until the onion is softened.
Add the ground beef to the pot and stir the beef to break it up as it cooks ( I like to use a wire whisk).
Continue to cook the beef until it’s browned with no visable red.
Add the red wine to the pot to deglaze the pan, scraping all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pot. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes until the wine has mostly evaporated.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings to the ground beef. Stir the meat mixture until all the ingredients have been blended into the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, allowing it to continue to simmer.
Cook for 45 -55 minutes until the liquid has cooked off. Continue to stir during the process until you have a fairly thick meat sauce.
Remove the sauce from the stove and allow it to cool to room temperature before assembling.

Béchamel Sauce (Greek Style)

Add the unsalted butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add flour and stir into the melted butter to make the roux. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the roux for 2-3 minutes.
Slowly pour the milk into the roux, whisking the mixture while adding the milk. Whisk the mixture until it is lump free.
Continue to cook the mixture, stirring as it thickens (4-5 minutes) until the sauce has thickened to a heavy cream soup consistency.
Remove the sauce from the stove. Stir in the nutmeg, cheese and salt. Allow the sauce to cool for 5 minutes.
Traditionally Kefalotyri cheese is used to make this dish. If you can’t find this greek cheese, you can use grated Romano cheese or parmesan cheese as the substitute.
After the sauce has cooled slightly, quickly whisk in the egg yolks. Cover the sauce and set aside off the heat until needed.
If the sauce cools too much and is too thick to pour, reheat it over low heat until pourable. If necessary, add a little water to the sauce.

Pasta

Cook the pasta per instructions on the box for al dente.
*I prefer bucatini as my pastitsio noodles, but you can also use tubular pasta of your choice, such as rigatoni or ziti for the pasta layer.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot it was cooked in. Allow the pasta to cool for 2- 3 minutes.
Add the egg whites and mix until the pasta is well coated.
Add the crumbled feta cheese to the pasta and mix well.

Assemble and bake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Spray a baking dish ( 9 x 13 x 2.75")with pan spray. Add the pasta mixture to the baking dish arranging the pasta (as best you can) in the baking dish, so they're all going in the same direction. Smooth the mixture so it's even.
This will give you visual appeal when it's sliced.
Top the pasta with the meat sauce, leveling the surface of the sauce.
Pour the Béchamel sauce over the meat and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the sauce.
Place the baking dish on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30 min or until the top turns golden brown.
Allow the Pastitsio to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing to allow it to set up.
Pastitsio will keep refrigerated and well covered for 4 to 5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

*Kefalotyri Greek cheese is a Greek sheep or goat's milk cheese, similar to Parmesan but not as salty. You can use grated romano or parmesan cheese if you can't find Kefalotyri.

*Traditional Pastitsio #2 pasta (thick tubular pasta) is used for this dish. It's similar to bucatini just a little thicker. If you can't find bucatini or Greek pasta, straight cut ziti or rigatoni is an acceptable substitute.

*The meat sauce must be very thick and not watery. Make sure to cook it long enough to reduce the liquids. If the sauce is too loose it will run into the bottom layer making the visual appearance messy.

*Greek Béchamel is thicker and richer than traditional bechamel sauce as it contains egg yolks. The egg yolks are what keep the sauce solid as it bakes.

*It's important to allow the pastitsio to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing to allow the bechamel layer to fully set.

Nutrition