Recipe: Pastitsio aka Greek lasagne

Get your Greek on with some filling Pastitsio

Pastitsio (sometimes spelled pastichio) is a Greek baked pasta dish with minced meat and béchamel sauce.  I’ve eaten this a couple of time in Greek restaurants and loved it.  All the carbs with the pasta and creamy bechamel sauce, and then there’s the meat. ❤️

I have made this on a few occasions using minced beef and at other times lamb, but you could also pork.  Whatever you have on hand or prefer the taste of.

Ingredients

meat sauce
olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 onions, finely chopped
Four sprigs of thyme
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
750 g minced beef
400 g of tinned tomatoes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
For the béchamel sauce
100 g butter
100 g flour
300ml milk
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
100 g gruyere cheese, grated
2 eggs

For the pasta
300 g pasta

Method

For the meat sauce

Place a pan over medium heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, sugar and finely chopped thyme.
Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions caramelize nicely.
Add the garlic and continue to sauté.
Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add minced meat.
Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes, cinnamon, bouillon cubes and bay leaves.
Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the minced meat is cooked.
When ready, remove from heat.
Remove the bay leaves.
Set aside until needed.

For the béchamel sauce

Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat.
As soon as it melts, add the flour.
Mix with a hand whisk and sauté the flour for a few minutes.
Add the milk, in small batches, whisking continuously.
When the sauce has cooked, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg and all of the grated gruyere, apart from 1 tablespoon which will be added at the end of the recipe.
In a seperate bowl whisk the 2 eggs.
Then whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs.
Return egg mixture all to bechamel saucepan. Heat and whisking constantly for around 2 minutes.
Set aside until needed.

For the pasta

Add the pasta to a pot full of water.
Boil until al dente as they will cook further in the oven.
Brush a baking dish with olive oil.
When the pasta is ready, drain and spread in the baking dish.
Mix into the pasta a ladle full of bechamel sauce.
Preheat oven to 180 C
Spread the minced meat mixture over the pasta in the baking dish.
Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the minced meat.
Sprinkle the leftover grated cheese over the top
Bake until the béchamel turns golden brown.

Recipe : Pastitsio aka Greek lasagne

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• meat sauce
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 onions finely chopped
• Four sprigs of thyme
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 750 g minced beef
• 400 g of tinned tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• For the béchamel sauce
• 100 g butter
• 100 g flour
• 300 ml milk
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 100 g gruyere cheese grated
• 3 eggs
• For the pasta
• 300 g pasta

Instructions

 

• For the meat sauce
• Place a pan over medium heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, sugar and finely chopped thyme.
• Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the onions caramelize nicely.
• Add the garlic and continue to sauté.
• Add the tomato paste and sauté for another 2 minutes.
• Add minced meat.
• Break it up with a wooden spoon and brown for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the tinned tomatoes, cinnamon, bouillon cubes and bay leaves.
• Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until the sauce reduces and the minced meat is cooked.
• When ready, remove from heat.
• Remove the bay leaves.
• Set aside until needed.
• For the béchamel sauce
• Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat.
• As soon as it melts, add the flour.
• Mix with a hand whisk and sauté the flour for a few minutes.
• Add the milk, in small batches, whisking continuously.
• When the sauce has cooked, remove from heat and add salt, pepper, nutmeg and all of the grated gruyere, apart from 1 tablespoon which will be added at the end of the recipe.
• In a seperate bowl whisk the 2 eggs.
• Then whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs.
• Return egg mixture all to bechamel saucepan. Heat and whisking constantly for around 2 minutes.
• Set aside until needed.
• For the pasta
• Add the pasta to a pot full of water.
• Boil until al dente as they will cook further in the oven.
• Brush a baking dish with olive oil.
• When the pasta is ready, drain and spread in the baking dish.
• Mix into the pasta a ladle full of bechamel sauce.
• Preheat oven to 180 C
• Spread the minced meat mixture over the pasta in the baking dish.
• Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the minced meat.
• Sprinkle the leftover grated cheese over the top
• Bake until the béchamel turns golden brown.