Pastitsio
When the cold months arrive, there’s nothing better than a delicious casserole. I have a great array of recipes to choose from like my Cassoulet, Lamb Keema, Frankie’s Macaroni Casserole, Hamburger Helper Copycat, Shepherd’s Pie, Southwest Beef Casserole, Meat Manicotti, Eggplant Rollatini • Involtini di Melanzane, Tuna Casserole, Turkey Tetrazzini, and many more…
I love them all but there’s another one that I go crazy for because it’s so incredible and it’s Pastitsio! This meat pasta dish is so delicious because it has several layers of yumminess! First the bucatini pasta is laid down before spooning on a hearty meat sauce made with ground beef, ground lamb and other great ingredients. It would be tasty as is, but there’s another awesome layer added… a beautifully rich Béchamel Sauce sprinkled with Kefalotyri cheese which gives a nice salty addition to it.
The meat sauce has amazing ingredients. First, there’s a mix of ground beef and lamb. Most recipes out there use strictly beef but by adding both, it brings more flavor to it. There’s also a bunch of herbs and spices in this one but what sets it apart from the other sauces is the added cinnamon and cloves. It gives a unique taste to the sauce, making it very “Greek”. Another aspect is that the texture is much thicker. The reason behind this is to have the layers distinctly separated for a nice, neat presentation.
Let’s talk about a couple of possible substitutions here…
Bucatini pasta looks like spaghetti but with a hole running through the center. The long narrow tube gives the traditional look of the Pastitsio dish when served. I use #2 and the best place to find it is at specialty grocers or online. If you can’t find any, don’t despair. To recreate a similar resemblance, ziti or penne can be used instead.
When it comes to cheese, I like to use the traditional Kefalotyri which is perfect for this recipe! It’s made from goat or sheep’s milk. Others prefer using Kasseri… I’m not a fan of it! In case you can’t find these cheeses, a great substitute is either Parmesan or Romano… They’re similar in texture and have the same sharp flavor. Oh my, I can see my Greek girlfriend Maria raising her eyebrows in disapproval. Joking aside, it’s totally fine to use either one although they’re saltier than Kefalotyri cheese.
After years of making Pastitsio, I recently found out that Béchamel Sauce wasn’t a traditional ingredient until the early 1900s’. Influenced by French cuisine, a well-known Greek chef named Nikólaos Tselementés, put a modern twist on this mouthwatering dish. He also introduced other French recipes to Greek home cooks.
Assembling the dish is quite easy. First you need a 9×13-inch baking dish but it has to be deep enough, about 2 ¾-inch to 3-inch high – I use a Le Creuset Rectangular Roaster. After the noodles are cooked, they are tossed with egg whites and cheese. These ingredients help the pasta to stick together better when it’s time to cut and serve. From there, they’re laid out in the dish lengthwise in one direction to get that nice visual effect. Then the meat sauce is evenly spooned over followed by some cheese and then comes the béchamel and finally more grated cheese is sprinkled on top. It’s baked in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes at 350ºF before putting it under low broil for 5 to 8 minutes or until nicely browned. It’s then removed from the heat to rest for at least 15 minutes. The longer it sits, the better it will hold its shape when it’s time to cut it for the typical presentation of this traditional dish.
If you’ve never had this rich casserole before, it has to be on your “must try” list this season. This Pastitsio is packed with wonderful flavors! It’s like having Italian lasagna in a Greek way. After you try this gorgeous baked pasta dish, you’ll understand why I love it so much….
Bon Appétit!
Here are several more delicious Greek inspired recipes for you to enjoy…
– Avgolemono Chicken Soup
– Greek Ouzo Pork Kebabs
– Prawn Saganaki
– Greek Lemon Rosemary Potatoes coming on May 19th, 2022
– Greek Pizza
– Spanakopita
– Greek Dolmades with Avgolemono Sauce
and for even more pasta recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Pasta & Pizza
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Pastitsio
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Ingredients
MEAT SAUCE
- 2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 2 cups white onions, chopped
- ground Himalayan sea salt, to taste and divided
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 1 lb. ground beef
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste and divided (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste tips & tricks
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 can (28 oz./796 ml.) fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 large bay leaf
- 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste optional
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 6 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk, warmed
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups Kefalotyri cheese, finely grated Footnote
PASTA
- 16 ounces bucatini pasta #2 (substitute ziti or penne)
- 1 tbsp. coarse Himalayan sea salt
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup Kefalotyri cheese, finely grated
TOPPING
- 2 1/2 cups finely grated Kefalotyri cheese, divided
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
MEAT SAUCE
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and when hot, add onions and sprinkle on ground sea salt; sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add ground lamb and ground beef; cook until browned, breaking into small pieces. Halfway through cooking, season with freshly ground black pepper before adding pressed garlic; stir well.
- When the meat is almost done; add tomato paste. Stir until well combined and finish cooking the meat.
- Add dry red wine, stir, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until the liquid is evaporated including the fat, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add fire roasted crushed tomatoes, granulated sugar, thyme leaves, oregano, cinnamon, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and ground sea salt. Stir to blend and add bay leaf.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer gently for 30 to 35 minutes or until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. If desired, add cayenne pepper to the mixture.
- When time is up and the sauce is thick, discard the bay leaf and remove from the heat and let it cool off while making the béchamel sauce.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- In a 4-quart pot over medium heat, add butter and when melted, add flour; whisk the roux for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the warm milk while whisking continuously until all incorporated and the sauce is smooth with no lumps. Add freshly grated nutmeg, ground sea salt and white pepper; whisk until well blended.
- Temper the egg yolks by scooping up some béchamel and slowly adding it to them, whisking constantly. After a few ladles, add warmed yolks to the pot and whisk them into the mixture.
- Add a ¼ cup at a time of Kefalotyri cheese and whisk until well incorporated between each addition. Keep the sauce warm while looking after the pasta.
PASTA
- In a large pot, boil salted water before adding the noodles. Cook 3 minutes LESS than the package directions.
- When time is up, drain very well before returning the pasta back to the pot. Add egg whites and cheese; stir gently to coat.
ASSEMBLY
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/177ºC
- Place pasta mixture in a large 9x13x3-inch deep baking dish, lightly greased. Arrange the noodles lengthwise to get them lined up, using a pasta fork or clean hands.
- Top the noodles with the meat sauce and evenly spread it out, pressing it down gently and leveling it out. Sprinkle on 1 cup of cheese before pouring in béchamel sauce; spread it out evenly and smoothing out the surface with a spatula. Sprinkle on 1 ½ cups of cheese to evenly cover the entire surface.
- Place the baking dish on a large baking sheet just in case it overflows and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top starts getting a little brown.
- When time is up, put the broiler on “low” and continue to bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until nice and brown.
- Carefully remove from the heat, sprinkle on some fresh chopped parsley and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving so it stays together for a nice presentation.
Notes
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