Greek Pastitsio

Pastitsio is the sort of dish that separates Greek home cooking from Greek restaurant cooking. Most people know moussaka, but pastitsio is its equally impressive sibling, a layered baked pasta with a cinnamon-scented meat sauce and a thick, golden bechamel on top. It is Sunday food, celebration food, the thing your Greek grandmother would make when the whole family showed up. If you have never had it, imagine the best baked ziti you have ever eaten, then add warm spices like cinnamon and allspice that shift the whole flavor profile into something far more interesting. This version leans into the cinnamon hard, because that is what makes pastitsio taste like pastitsio and not just another baked pasta. It lands.

The bechamel here is intentionally thick, enriched with egg yolks and a good hit of nutmeg. So it sets up into a sliceable layer rather than pooling into the pasta. Use bucatini if you can find it, but thick-cut macaroni works fine. The most important step is the 20-minute rest after it comes out of the oven. Skip that, and you get a sloppy mess instead of clean, layered slices. This reheats well the next day, and leftovers are honestly just as good straight from the fridge. We’ve been known to eat it cold, standing at the counter.

Making the Meat Sauce

Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about seven minutes. Add diced onion and cook four minutes until softened, then add minced garlic and cook thirty seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, ground cinnamon, allspice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer fifteen minutes until the sauce is thick and concentrated. The cinnamon is what makes this sauce distinctly Greek. It should be noticeable but not overpowering.

Preparing the Bechamel

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook one minute to form a roux. Gradually whisk in whole milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about six minutes. The bechamel should coat the back of a spoon heavily. Remove from heat, stir in freshly grated nutmeg, and let cool three minutes. Whisk in egg yolks and half the grated kefalotyri or Parmesan. The egg yolks thicken the sauce and give it a custard-like texture.

Assembling and Baking

Cook bucatini or thick macaroni until just al dente and toss with olive oil. Spread half the pasta in a greased nine-by-thirteen-inch baking dish. Top with all of the meat sauce, then layer the remaining pasta on top. Pour the bechamel evenly over everything and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for forty to forty-five minutes until the top is deep golden and the filling is bubbling. Rest twenty minutes before cutting into squares.

Greek Pastitsio

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• Author: Kalle Bergman
• Total Time: 100 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings

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Description

Pastitsio is the Greek baked pasta dish that sits somewhere between lasagna and moussaka — layers of tubular pasta, a cinnamon-spiced meat sauce, and a thick béchamel topping that bakes into a golden custard. It is one of those dishes that Greek home cooks argue about endlessly — how thick the béchamel should be, which pasta shape is correct, how much cinnamon is too much. The answer to the last one is that there is no such thing as too much.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 1 lb bucatini or thick macaroni pasta
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup grated kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in salted water until just al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 7 minutes. Add onion and cook 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer 15 minutes until thick. Set aside.
3. Make the béchamel: melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in nutmeg. Let cool 3 minutes, then whisk in egg yolks and half the cheese.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
5. Spread half the pasta in the dish. Top with all of the meat sauce. Layer the remaining pasta on top. Pour the béchamel evenly over everything. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the top is deep golden and the filling is bubbling. Rest 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

Notes

• Cinnamon in the meat sauce is the signature flavor of pastitsio — it is what makes it taste Greek rather than Italian.
• The béchamel needs to be thick, almost like a custard, to hold its shape when you cut squares. Thin béchamel will run.
• Like moussaka, the 20-minute rest is essential. This dish cuts into clean squares only after the layers have time to set.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 75 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Greek

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 530
• Sugar: 6
• Sodium: 780
• Fat: 24
• Carbohydrates: 48
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 32
• Cholesterol: 115

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