Pastitsio (Baked Greek Pasta)
Baked pastitsio is a savory Greek lasagna with layers of bucatini noodles, cinnamon-scented bolognese and bechamel topped with melted cheese!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 15 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 15 oz Pastitsio No. 2 pasta (Greek bucatini) ((See Note 1))
- 4 oz feta cheese (crumbled)
- 2 egg whites
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 large red onion (finely chopped (2 cups))
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole clove
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated (preferably))
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 4 oz Kefalotyri cheese (or Parmesan) (finely shredded - divided (Note 2))
- 2 egg yolks
Instructions
- 1
Place a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and the ground beef. Break up the meat with a spoon and brown for 5 minutes.
- 2
Pour in the red wine, cook until evaporated. Add the tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon stick, clove, bay leaf and season. Bring to the boil, then simmer covered for about 30 minutes until liquid is mostly gone. Sauce should be thick. Discard the bay leaf, clove and cinnamon stick. Set aside to cool while making the bechamel.
- 3
In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the flour, whisking continuously to form a paste. Slowly add the warm milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and thick, cooking for 5 minutes. The bechamel should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. You'll know it's ready when you can run your finger through it to create a solid strip.
- 4
Remove from heat and add a pinch salt, black pepper, nutmeg and 2 ounces of the Kefalotyri cheese. Whisk until smooth. Let cool 5 minutes and whisk in egg yolks. Cover and set aside.
- 5
Cook the pasta 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, so it doesn't get mushy after baking. Drain, then return to the pot. Allow to cool for 3 minutes and stir in the egg whites and feta cheese and mix gently with a spatula.
- 6
Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 7
Use olive oil or butter to coat the bottom and sides of a deep pan. Use either a 2.75" deep 9x13" baking dish or a larger 10x15" baking pan. Layer the pasta on bottom (spreading to even layer with spatula), top with the meat sauce (again spreading to even layer with spatula) then top with the bechamel sauce (again spreading to even layer with spatula). Sprinkle remaining 2 ounces of shredded Kefalotyri cheese over the top.
- 8
Bake for 40 minutes, until crust turns a light golden brown. Allow pastitsio to cool down before slicing and serving.