Pastitsio (slightly revamped)

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Photo updated Feb 2015
Photo updated Feb 2015

 

 

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.

 

Photo updated Feb 2015
Photo updated Feb 2015

Every version of pastitsio I’ve had has had an aromatic, (warmly) spicy meatsauce, and mine is no different. I think without the spice, this turns into your standard lasagna with bechamel on top.  I make the meatsauce very similarly to the way I make the kima for pasta. It’s a very thick, flavorful sauce and  holds up well against the creaminess of the bechamel. Play around with the amount of allspice to suit your tastes. You can also use cloves (but not as much) as a replacement.

If you can’t find kefalotyri or myzithra, just use a good salty cheese like pecorino romano or parmesan.

 

 

Pastitsio (slightly revamped)

41 thoughts on “Pastitsio (slightly revamped)

  1. 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!

  2. 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!

  3. 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!

  4. 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!

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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!

  9. 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!

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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

  14. 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…

  15. 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?

    1. 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!

  16. 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!

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