Often called the Greek counterpart of lasagne, but a dish in its own right: a layer of tubular pasta, a spiced meat sauce with cinnamon and a thick béchamel that bakes golden brown. After resting you cut it into neat slices; comfort food for a full table.
Pastitsio
Pastitsio
Method
01
Meat sauce
Sweat the onion until translucent, add the garlic and fry the mince until crumbly. Deglaze with the wine and reduce almost completely. Add the tomatoes, purée, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, allspice and sugar and leave to simmer gently for approx. 45 min to a thick sauce. Remove the cinnamon and bay leaves.
02
Pasta
Cook the pasta 2 min less than the packet says, drain and mix straight away with the olive oil, the egg whites and the cheese. That way the tubes stick together nicely during baking.
03
Béchamel
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 2 min. Gradually add the warm milk, stirring constantly, to a thick sauce. Take off the heat, leave to cool for 5 min and then stir in the egg yolks, cheese and nutmeg. Season.
04
Assemble
Grease an ovenproof dish. Spread the pasta evenly and press down firmly. Spoon the meat sauce on top and smooth. Pour all the béchamel over the top to finish. If you like, sprinkle with extra cheese.
05
Bake
Bake for approx. 45–50 min at 180 °C until the top is deep golden brown.
06
Rest
Leave to rest for at least 45 min, so the béchamel sets and you can cut neat slices.
Tips & notes
Pastitsio is an excellent make-ahead dish: preparing it a day in advance and letting it cool completely gives the neatest slices when cutting. Reheat portions in the oven, not the microwave, for a crisp top. Keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge, and freezes very well (up to 3 months); the flavour often deepens further the next day.
Variations
- No tubular pasta to hand? Penne also works well as a substitute.
- Add a layer of fried aubergine between the pasta and the meat sauce for a moussaka-pastitsio hybrid.
Contains:
Gluten
Eggs
Milk
Sulphites
Serve with
| Calories | 793 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g |
| Fat | 52 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
