Pastitsio (slightly revamped)
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I’d venture to say that pastitsio is one of the most popular Greek dishes. It’s right up there with spanakopita as my most requested recipe, or the dish others tell me they order in Greek restaurants. Pastitsio is basically the Greek’s version of lasagna. It’s a layered dish of pasta (traditionally, bucatini/good ol’ Misko No. 2), warmly spicy meat sauce, and bechamel (I use cheese so technically a mornay). My yiayia usually added a few breadcrumbs on top (in addition to more cheese), so I do that, too.
If you’ve followed my blog long enough, you may remember the first time I posted pastitsio based on my grandma’s “recipe.” I’ve modified this recipe a bit since then (but if you want to see the original source, my yiayia, click here :-P). Pastitsio is a comfort food to me–not only because it’s pasta, slow cooked meatsauce and creamy bechamel, but because it reminds me of home.
If you can’t find kefalotyri or myzithra, just use a good salty cheese like pecorino romano or parmesan.
Pastitsio
Source: Elly Says Opa
500 g. (16-18 oz.) bucatini pasta (penne or ziti works too)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup grated myzithra or other salty, slightly sharp cheese like Pecorino Romano
1 batch Greek meatsauce (recipe follows)
1 batch bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
2 Tbsp. kefalotyri or myzithra cheese (optional)
3 Tbsp. plain breadcrumbs (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Cook the bucatini until barely al dente in a large pot of lightly salted water. Drain, and then mix well with the beaten egg, butter, and the myzithra cheese. Toss until butter has melted.
Place half the pasta mixture evenly across the bottom of a 3 qt. baking dish. Layer the meatsauce mixture over that, followed by the remaining pasta. Finally, pour the bechamel sauce over the noodles, and spread the mixture evenly. Top with the kefalotyri cheese and the breadcrumbs, if using.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbly. Let it sit for 15 minutes before slicing.
Greek Meatsauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 cups water or beef broth
1 cinnamon stick
5 or 6 whole allspice berries, or about 3/4 tsp. ground allspice (more or less to taste)
1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat your olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender. Add the beef , cooking until browned. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for a minute before adding the water/broth, cinnamon stick, allspice, parsley, bay, and salt (about 2-3 tsp.) and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer, mostly covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally (meatsauce should be very thick, but if necessary add a bit of extra water).
Bechamel
6 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup flour
1 qt. 2% or whole milk
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup kefalotyri or other salty, slightly sharp cheese like Pecorino Romano
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour and make a roux, cooking for a few minutes until light golden brown. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture up to just barely a bubble. Continue cooking (and stirring) until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add the nutmeg and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Off the heat, whisk in the cheese, eggs, and egg yolk.
I can’t wait to make this! I’ve given up meat for Lent so I’ll have to make this in April… yum!!
I can’t wait to make this! I’ve given up meat for Lent so I’ll have to make this in April… yum!!
This looks amazing and is definitely going on next week’s menu. We love Greek dishes and I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!!!
This looks amazing and is definitely going on next week’s menu. We love Greek dishes and I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!!!
I love you. By total chance, a few weeks ago I found real pastitsio noodles in my rather limited grocery store and snatched them up. But I haven’t had a recipe so I could actually use them, so they’ve just been sitting in my cupborad. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
I love you. By total chance, a few weeks ago I found real pastitsio noodles in my rather limited grocery store and snatched them up. But I haven’t had a recipe so I could actually use them, so they’ve just been sitting in my cupborad. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
I absolutely love your version of pastitsio Elly.
I absolutely love your version of pastitsio Elly.
Looks great. I think I am the only greek that doesn’t use eggs in the bechamel for pastitso
Looks great. I think I am the only greek that doesn’t use eggs in the bechamel for pastitso
Yum yum yum – your pastistio looks might fine! I do really like your yiayia’s bread crumb idea. Next time, I make pastitsio, I’m using that trick – I like the contrast in textures I know it will provide. Great entry!
Yum yum yum – your pastistio looks might fine! I do really like your yiayia’s bread crumb idea. Next time, I make pastitsio, I’m using that trick – I like the contrast in textures I know it will provide. Great entry!
Your pastitsio sounds delicious Elly. I made a quite different version last week but didn’t find the time to post it yet.
Your pastitsio sounds delicious Elly. I made a quite different version last week but didn’t find the time to post it yet.
My absolute favourite…I too like the idea of adding breadcrumbs on the top. I will def try it next time I make it.
My absolute favourite…I too like the idea of adding breadcrumbs on the top. I will def try it next time I make it.
I love, love, love pastitsio. I can probably eat it on a weekly basis and was quite annoyed when I saw a re-run of Anthony Bourdain in Greece and he said he hated those Greek casserole dishes (mostly moussaka, but I can’t imagine he is too keen on pastitsio either). Too bad … I can eat the entire pan! Your version sounds amazing.
I love, love, love pastitsio. I can probably eat it on a weekly basis and was quite annoyed when I saw a re-run of Anthony Bourdain in Greece and he said he hated those Greek casserole dishes (mostly moussaka, but I can’t imagine he is too keen on pastitsio either). Too bad … I can eat the entire pan! Your version sounds amazing.
Yummy Elly! You are so right – this is the very definition of comfort food. YUM! Did I say YUM, yet? YUM.
Yummy Elly! You are so right – this is the very definition of comfort food. YUM! Did I say YUM, yet? YUM.
Elly, your pastistsio looks delicious, it oozes awesome! If it’s giagia’a recipe, then it’s THE recipe…who are we to question that?
Thanks for the entry and enjoy the week’s worth of of Pastitsio.
I definitely froze a few batches for my lazy days hehe. I loved the photo of your grandmother’s recipe in Greek and I think the breadcrumbs on top is a great idea. I’m going to keep that in mind for when my frozen supply of pastitsio dwindles.
Thanks for participating!
This is interesting! Greek lasagna. I will have to try this soon. I have been really busy in the past month. I’m really glad to be back to your blog seeing such a nice entree. I wish I could eat it through my screen!
That Pastitsio looks so good. It is on my list f things to try making.
I’ve never had this but gosh it sounds and looks fantastic.
I’ve never had this but gosh it sounds and looks fantastic.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE pastitsio. It’s sooo delicious it has to be a sin. My bf had never had it before I made it for him and now he ask for it every week.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE pastitsio. It’s sooo delicious it has to be a sin. My bf had never had it before I made it for him and now he ask for it every week.
Not to healthy, but in my family we make the pastitsio with my Thea Metaxia’s recipe . . . and boil the pasta in milk with butter melted in it!! Heavenly and lead-like.
I finally made your recipe for pastitsio tonight! It was fabulous. I am always disappointed when I order it at a Greek restaurant and it’s not hot and bubbly all the way through because it’s just been reheated. I will never order this when I go out again homemade is always better
So glad you liked it!
i think I’ll do this for Easter as well…it feeds a ton and everyone loves it…now I just need a good avgolemono recipe…
I have wanted to make pastitsio for at least 10 years and with this beautiful recipe, I do believe I will give it a try! Just wish I had the ingredients on hand to make it tonight. Mmmmm.
OMG this looks amazing! My best friend when I wa growing up is Greek, and whenever her mom made this I got invited over. I want to make it now, but I’m vegetarian. I wonder how good this would be with TVP. It won’t give off any grease so I wonder if it would
be too dry. I can’t imagine, but have you ever tried a meatless version?
Denise, I’ve never tried a meatless version. I think it would probably be okay, though? You could even try something like mushrooms or maybe eggplant – the eggplant would sort of be a cross between a moussaka and a pastitsio? Not sure but let me know if you give a veg version a try!
Will do. Thanks Elly.
I’ve been wanting to make this for a long time, and was delighted with your recipe. It was hard to find the ingredients — I wonder how long it’ll take me to use up a pound and a half of myzithra — but kind of a fun treasure hunt.
I did have two issues:
* The meat sauce seemed a little bland. I had hoped that it would taste like Cincinnati chili (obviously, I don’t know much about Greek food!), but it was pretty mild, and just tasted of ground beef. (With dried spices, alas, rather than fresh, so maybe that was it.)
* This slopped over the edge of my three quart baking dish, so I had to have a pan under it in the oven to catch the drippings. It may be that a four quart dish would be a better idea. (Or it may be that I needed to cook down the sauce some more, and that’s why it was bland, and there was too much of it?)
Thanks, though, this was a great recipe to use to get started on pastitsio — I can’t wait to make it again!