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GREEK PASTITSIO

Classic Greek pasta bake with aromatic lamb and cinnamon lending a hand to a decadent béchamel sauce.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil
  • 1 large onion , chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3 medium cloves of garlic , minced
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes , including any liquids
  • kosher salt and cracked pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lb (454 g) Greek No 2 pasta (or bucatini, or ziti, or penne)
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Kefalotyri or parmesan cheese
  • 2/3 cup thick Greek yogurt

Instructions

MEAT SAUCE

  1. Heat about 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes.

  2. Add the beef and lamb and stir, crumbling and breaking them up with a wooden spoon till no longer pink. This may take up to 10 minutes. Drain off any fat.

  3. Add the wine, stir, and let it cook off for about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, thyme and cayenne pepper. Stir, cooking for another 5 minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and any juices, the bay leaves as well as 2 tsp of salt and 1 1/2 tsp of pepper. Lower the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to see if you want to add more salt or pepper. Set aside. Remove the bay leaves.
  6. Set the oven to 350F.

PASTA

  1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Do not overcook, as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Start on the béchamel sauce.

BECHAMEL

  1. Heat the milk and cream together in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, until it begins to simmer.

  2. In another medium saucepan, melt the butter over med-low heat, then add the flour. Whisk these two together and cook for 2 minutes, until all the 'rawness' has been cooked out of the flour.

  3. Slowly add the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue whisking for another 7 minutes or so, until thickened and smooth.
  4. Stir in 1 cup of parmesan cheese and remove from the heat. Then stir in 1 1/2 tsp pepper and nutmeg. Cool for 10 minutes or so. Add the yogurt and stir till well combined.
  5. Drain the water completely from the pasta pot and return the pasta in the pot back to the heat, adding 2 tbsp of olive oil, stirring to coat well.
  6. ASSEMBLY
  7. Prepare a large baking dish (at least 11x15x2) or a 16 cup casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.
  8. Add 2/3 of the pasta to form the bottom layer. Be sure not to leave any empty spots- press firmly down.
  9. Spread all of the meat sauce over the pasta. Again, get all the edges, and leave no gaps. Press firmly.
  10. Add the remaining pasta over the meat layer. Spread evenly.
  11. Stir up to smooth any lumps that may have happened as the béchamel was sitting and then pour the béchamel sauce over the final pasta layer.
  12. Cover with remaining shredded parmesan cheese.
  13. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the béchamel is golden brown and starting to bubble.
  14. Remove casserole from oven and set aside to cool before serving. This dish is better served the next day, reheated. However, if you must eat it on the same day, make sure it has a chance to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting it into pieces. Do not make the mistake of cutting it before it has had a chance to cool, you will end up with messy servings. I know!

Recipe Notes

Cut it only when it has cooled, (ideally overnight in the refrigerator) and warm the pieces before serving. It freezes well. Freeze before adding the final amount of parmesan cheese for baking.

If I am not making this to feed a crowd, then I will automatically divide everything into two dishes. One for freezing and one for eating!

If baking from fridge or freezer (after thawing), cover in tin foil, and bake at 350F this way for the first 20 minutes or so. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Adapted from The Greek Gourmand