Traditional Greek Pastitsio Recipe (Greek Lasagna)
User Reviews
5
-
Prep Time
15 mins
-
Cook Time
1 hr 45 mins
-
Total Time
2 hrs
-
Servings
8 -12 pieces
-
Calories
419 kcal
-
Course
Main Course
-
Cuisine
Greek
Traditional Greek Pastitsio Recipe (Greek Lasagna)
Description
The recipe for Traditional Greek Pastitsio involves preparing two main components: a meatsauce and a bechamel sauce. The meatsauce starts with sautéing onion, carrot, and celery until softened, followed by browning ground beef. Red wine is added to deglaze the pan, then garlic, cinnamon, cloves, basil, allspice, bay leaves, canned tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, and water create a spiced sauce that simmers until thickened and flavorful.
The bechamel sauce is made by melting butter and stirring in flour to form a roux, then slowly whisking in whole milk and cooking until thickened. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, it is enriched by folding in beaten eggs and grated Parmesan or kefalograviera cheese, which creates a creamy and slightly dense topping for the casserole.
Assembly involves layering cooked Greek bucatini pasta (Pastitsio No 2) with the meatsauce and topping it with the cheese-laden bechamel. Baking this mixture results in a golden, bubbling dish with a creamy crust, spiced meat layer, and al dente pasta strands. It's traditionally served with simple salads such as Greek salad for contrast.
Leftovers keep well refrigerated up to four days. For variations, alcohol-free red wine or beef broth can replace red wine in the meatsauce. Greek bucatini pasta can be sourced from European or Greek markets to preserve authenticity.
Ingredients
Meatsauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onion diced, white
- 1 carrot diced
- 2 celery diced, stalks
- 800-900 g ground beef lean
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 4 garlic minced, cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper ground
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves ground
- 1 tbsp basil dried
- 3/4 tsp allspice
- 3 bay leaf
- 28 oz canned tomatoes diced or whole
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup water
Bechamel
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk room temperature
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups Parmesan Cheese or kefalograviera cheese, grated
- 4 egg beaten
Pasta
- 400-425 g Greek pasta noodles called Pastitsio No 2 pasta, also known as Greek bucatini
Instructions
Make the meatsauce
- Add olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the ground beef, stirring occasionally to break up the meat and cook for about 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
- Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan. Cook it for a few minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Stir in the garlic, spices (salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, dried basil, all spice) and bay leaves until incorporated. Next stir in the diced or whole tomatoes (if using whole tomatoes crush them up a bit when added to the pot), sugar, tomato paste and water and bring to a boil. Once simmering, turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer with the lid on until the sauce has cooked down and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
Make the bechamel
- Whisk the 4 eggs together in a bowl and set aside.
- Make the bechamel by adding butter to a medium frying pan or pot over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk constantly until a paste forms.
- Stir in the milk in 1/2 cup increments, whisking constantly after each addition to make sure the sauce doesn’t get lumpy. Continue whisking and add in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk in the shredded cheese until combined.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in whisked eggs, whisking quickly to combine and make sure the eggs don't get lumpy. Put back on low heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, continue whisking – the sauce should be smooth and sort of consistency of a cheese sauce. Set aside.
Pasta
- When the meatsauce and bechamel are ready, cook the pasta to al dente and set aside.
Assemble and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Place the pasta in a 9x13 baking dish, arranging the noodles facing the same way as best you can and making the layer as level as you can.
- Add the meat sauce as the next layer and smooth out the top of the surface.
- Pour the bechamel sauce over the meat sauce layer and gently smooth out the top of the surface.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. You can always broil on low towards the end of the baking time to help the crust turn golden.
- Let the pasta bake cool for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Use Greek bucatini pasta known as Pastitsio No 2 pasta to achieve authentic texture.
- Serve the finished Pastitsio with a fresh Greek salad such as Maroulosalata or a simple homemade Greek salad.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days to retain freshness.
- Red wine in the meatsauce can be substituted with alcohol-free red wine or beef broth if preferred.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8-12 pieces
Amount Per Serving
Calories 419 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 419kcal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 40.5g | 14% |
| Protein | 30.5g | 61% |
| Fat | 13.7g | 21% |
| Saturated Fat | 6.7g | 34% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1.2g | 7% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 123.4mg | 41% |
| Sodium | 1298.6mg | 54% |
| Fiber | 3.7g | 15% |
| Sugar | 10.1g | 20% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
