How to Make Pastitsio (A Greek Dish)

Pastitsio is one of the most well-known and beloved of all traditional Greek dishes and a staple of Greek cuisine and cooking. Throughout Greece and at most Greek restaurants around the world, you will often find Pastitsio as part of the meal or on the menu. One reason for this is that it is considered a Greek comfort food. The primary ingredients in this oven-baked pasta casserole dish are small tubular pasta noodles, ground beef, tomatoes, a few common spices and a standard cooking sauce. So, what are you waiting for? Follow the steps in this article and you will soon be dining on the very delicious, comforting, and traditional Greek dish of Pastitsio.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 6 ounces or 1 1/2 cups bucatini pasta (bucatini is traditionally used, but other hollow, tubular noodle types such as elbow macaroni, penne, or ziti, may be substituted)
• 2 eggs, beaten (each beaten egg added at separate times though)
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (adjust to your preference)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (adjust to your preference)
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• salt
• pepper

1. There are three steps to making pastitsio: preparing the pasta layer, the meat layer, and the béchamel sauce (white sauce) layer. For the pasta layer: cook the pasta noodles until just done, drain. Add one beaten egg, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup milk. Mix and set that aside.
2. For the meat layer: cook the ground beef and onion in a skillet until the meat is brown, and then drain off the fat. Add the tomato sauce (and optional diced tomatoes), cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Then set all that aside.
3. For the béchamel sauce (white sauce): melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan. Add in flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the milk slowly and cook and stir until thickened. Remove that from the heat and stir in a small amount of the hot mixture into one beaten egg, then return that mixture to the rest of the sauce in the pan. Add the 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
4. Now, to assemble to actual pastitsio: put half the macaroni mixture into an 8 x 8 inch square pan or casserole dish. Next, add the meat mixture layer. Then add the rest of the macaroni mixture on top of that. Finally, add the béchamel sauce (white sauce) over all of that. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy this delicious and traditional baked Greek dish!

Tips & Warnings

• Leave the cinnamon and nutmeg in to keep this dish authentically Greek!