Pastitsio is a layered Greek pasta baked dish. There are variations throughout the regions of Greece but typically the bottom layer is bucatini or other tubular pasta with cheese and egg as a binder; or some of the bechamel cream, the second layer is ground meat (beef or veal) with tomato and cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg, or allspice; the third is another layer of pasta; and the top layer is a thick Béchame cream with myzithra (a Greek cheese) grated and sprinkled on top together with a hint of cinnamon.
In many regions of Greece and Cyprus, pastitsio is called ‘macaronia tou fournou». Pastitsio takes its name from the Italian pasticcio, also known as «Lasagna al Forno» in some regions of Italy. Lasagna al Forno is made instead with a flat noodle or sheet pasta called «lasagna» (from the Greek word «lagana).
Greek Pastitsio
Ingredients:
- 1 packet (500 grs.) of tubular spaghetti No. 3 or No. 6
- 1 cup of grated graviera or myzithra cheese
For filling:
- ½ kilo ground beef
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes peeled and blended (or 1 can 500 grams of whole tomatoes, blended)
- ½ cup of dry white wine
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- A pinch of ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp oregano
Bechamel sauce
See recipe and step by step instructions here.
Directions:
- Sauté the onion and garlic until translucenand. Add the ground meat and sauté until it turns white.
- Add wine and stir until it evaporates and add salt, pepper, oregano, cinnamon and cloves. Finally add tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until it is cooked and most of the juices evaporate. Remove from the heat and mix in parsley.
- Meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce.
- In a sauce pan heat butter, add flour and stir until slightly browned. Add salt and nutmeg and mix. Add warm milk stirring continuously until a thick cream is made and remove from heat.
- Beat eggs and add a spoonful at a time stirring until absorbed. Continue until eggs are absorbed.
- Add half the cheese (reserving the remaining to sprinkle in pasta and on top).
- Prepare the pasta
- Boil water and add salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Boil pasta al dente and remove from heat. Place in cold water and then strain. Mix some of the cheese in the pasta.
- In a baking tin add half pasta and dilute 3 spoonfuls of béchamel cream with some milk to make a thinner cream and add to pasta and mix. If we do not add the cream our pasta will not stick together but will spread in the plate during serving.
- Put the ground meat on top and add remaining pasta. Sprinkle some grated cheese and nutmeg.
- Add béchamel sauce to cover pasta. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 45 minutes or until a golden brown.
See also:
Tags: beef, Ground meat, Pasta, Pastitsio, Traditional
This looks delicious Ivy!! I really enjoy this type of food and I’m sure my family would love this
Rosie x
It has been a while since I tried to make Pastitsio. I tried a delicious version in Ioannina but would be willing to come to your home and learn to make it your way…wink..wink…
Val, have you made the version you tried at Ioannina? I am curious to see what’s different.
Ivy this is definitely my kind of food. Your Pastitsio looks so good!!
Maria
x
Delicious! I’ll have to make this for dinner!
It does look awesome and thanks for the tips as well. So glad you shared with Presto Pasta Nights.
This looks like a sunday meal to me!!! Everybody sitting at the table, even the cook, and enjoying a meal together
. It must be so fulfilling! All I would need after a Pastitsio like yours would be a siesta 
Yum Ivy – I love lasagna, so I am sure that this would be delicious.
This looks great- I will try this myself. Reminiscent of mousaka (sp?) but without the eggplant I have to be in the right mood for.
Hi Lauren, thanks for passing by. The bechamel and the ground meat are similar to moussaka but the end result is totally different.
That pastitsio looks really tasty!
Thank you Kevin and good luck for your turn to host.
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My aunt and my father still speak of the pasticcio that their Greek cook used to make. It apparently had a phyllo crust which she made herself. I love your recipe but was wondering if you ever made it with phyllo dough on top?
Joumana, I know which one you are referring to. I think this is a speciality of one of our islands, I think Corfu. Unfortunately I have not made it yet.