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- Pastitsio - Greek Baked Pasta
Pastitsio - Greek Baked Pasta
Ingredients
Step by step process
Preparation of the meat ragout
- 1
Peel the onion and chop it into small cubes, crush the garlic or finely chop it.
- 2
In a deeper pan or wider pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- 3
Add the garlic, stir, and after 30 seconds, add the ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces and cook until the meat loses its pink color and most of the juice evaporates, about 8 minutes.
TIP:Do not overcrowd the wok or pan. Sear the meat in smaller batches over high heat so it sears quickly, does not release too much juice, and develops a rich flavor and color instead of steaming.
- 4
Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute, then pour in the red wine. Allow the wine to reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
- 5
Add the passata, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir, bring to a gentle boil, and let simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. Remove the bay leaf and allspice.
TIP:Simmer the ragù on low heat without a lid for 15-20 minutes. The sauce will reduce, thicken and excess moisture will evaporate. A deeper flavor is achieved by simmering longer.
Cooking the pasta
- 6
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne according to the package instructions, but reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes, as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven and should not be soft.
- 7
Drain the cooked pasta and let it cool slightly so it doesn't burn the eggs in the béchamel.
Preparation of the béchamel sauce
- 8
In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, add the flour all at once, and while constantly stirring with a whisk, cook the roux for about 2 minutes until it starts to smell nutty but does not darken.
TIP:Melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk after each addition to prevent lumps. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- 9
Gradually add the milk in smaller batches, and after each addition, whisk thoroughly to avoid lumps. Cook the sauce while stirring for 5-7 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 10
Remove from heat, season with salt, add a pinch of nutmeg, and let cool for 5 minutes. Then, one by one, whisk in the eggs, thoroughly incorporating each before adding the next. Finally, stir in the grated kefalotiri.
Assembly and baking
- 11
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (top and bottom heat). Grease a baking dish (approximately 25 × 35 cm) with butter.
- 12
Spread half of the cooked pasta in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Evenly layer the entire meat ragout over it and smooth it out.
- 13
Cover with the remaining half of the pasta and gently press down to hold the layers together.
- 14
Evenly pour the béchamel sauce over the top and smooth it out with a spatula or spoon to cover the entire surface of the pasta.
- 15
Sprinkle with grated kefalotiri and place in the preheated oven on the middle rack.
- 16
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is a rich golden color and the béchamel is bubbling at the edges. If it browns too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- 17
After removing from the oven, let the pastitsio rest for at least 15 minutes. the layers will firm up, making it much easier to cut. Cut into squares and serve.
More tips:
You can substitute kefalotiri with pecorino or parmesan, both of which have a similar salty and strong flavor that will give the béchamel the right Greek character.
Pastitsio tastes even better the next day after resting in the fridge. the layers will firm up and the flavors will meld. Just reheat in the oven at 160 °C covered with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes.
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Topic: Greek Cuisine
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