Time
120 min
Serving
10 persons
Calories
556
Pastitsio, sometimes referred to as Greek lasagna, is easy to make with a savory meat sauce, tubular pasta, rich béchamel sauce, and cheese. It tastes incredible — everyone loves this comforting dish!
Ingredients
- butter: 2 Tbsp
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- garlic: 3 clove (crushed)
- ½ pounds lean ground beef: 1 piece
- tomatoes: 1 can (15 ounce can, crushed)
- dry red wine: 0.5 cup
- beef broth: 0.5 cup
- tomato paste: 2 Tbsp
- fresh parsley: 2 Tbsp (chopped)
- ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick: 0.5 tsp
- whole clove: 1 piece
- salt and pepper: (to taste)
- ounces bucatini or pastitsio pasta: 12 piece
- butter: 4 Tbsp
- Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Pecorino cheese: 0.25 cup (grated)
- dash ground nutmeg: 1 piece
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- black pepper: 0.25 tsp (freshly ground)
- eggs, lightly: 2 piece (beaten)
- butter: 0.5 cup
- all-purpose flour: 0.5 cup
- milk: 3 cups
- ground nutmeg: 0.25 tsp
- salt: 0.25 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.25 tsp
- 1/2 cups grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Pecorino cheese: 1 piece (divided)
- egg, lightly: 1 piece (beaten)
- egg yolk, lightly: 1 piece (beaten)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Make the meat sauce: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir gently until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase heat and add ground beef; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, broth, tomato paste, parsley, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and clove. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Meanwhile prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Pour melted butter, 1/4 cup grated cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper over pasta; toss well and cool briefly. Add 2 eggs and toss again; set aside. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Make the béchamel: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cool slightly before stirring in 1 cup grated cheese, beaten egg, and egg yolk. Then stir 1/2 cup of béchamel sauce into meat sauce. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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To assemble pastitsio: Arrange pasta in the bottom of the prepared baking dish so that all of the noodles are nicely lined up and are as level as possible for a great visual effect when serving. Spoon meat sauce over pasta; top with remaining béchamel sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese on top. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling and golden brown on top, about 50 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
