Pastitsio
Greece’s answer to lasagne: tubes of pasta, a cinnamon-scented meat sauce and a thick, golden béchamel crown.
- 120 min40 prep · 80 cook
- HardDifficulty
- 970 kcalper serving
Ingredients
- Long tube pasta (bucatini or ziti)500 g
- Minced beef600 g
- Onion1
- garlic2 cloves
- Tomato passata400 g
- Red wine100 ml
- Ground cinnamon1 tsp
- Butter80 g
- Flour80 g
- Whole milk1 l
- Eggs2
- Kefalotyri or pecorino, grated100 g
- nutmeg1 pinch
- Olive oil2 tbsp
- Saltto taste
- Black pepperto taste
Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.
Steps
- 1
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil, add the beef and brown it well.
- 2
Add the wine, passata and cinnamon, season and simmer until thick.
- 3
Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet says, drain and mix with half the cheese.
- 4
For the béchamel, cook the flour in the butter, whisk in the milk and simmer until thick. Off the heat, beat in the eggs and nutmeg.
- 5
In a baking dish, layer half the pasta, all the meat sauce and the rest of the pasta. Pour over the béchamel and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- 6
Bake at 180 °C until deep golden.
- 7
Let it rest before cutting into squares.
Tips and questions
- Can I make it ahead or freeze it?
- Yes. Assemble it a day ahead, or freeze it baked for up to 3 months and reheat covered at 180 °C.
- How is it different from lasagna?
- It uses tube pasta instead of sheets, a cinnamon-spiced meat sauce and a thick béchamel enriched with egg and cheese.
- Why let it rest after baking?
- Give it 20–30 minutes so the béchamel sets and you can cut neat squares.
Enjoy your meal!
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