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Pastitsio
Παστίτσιο (pastitsio): baked pasta with cinnamon-spiced beef sauce under a thick béchamel
Pastitsio is the dish Greek mothers make for big Sunday lunches and christenings, and the one every Athens taverna keeps warm in a deep tray at lunchtime. Long tubular pasta is layered with a beef and tomato sauce scented with cinnamon and allspice, then topped with a deep, wobbly béchamel that bakes to a golden crust. Cut it into neat squares once it has rested and serve with a green salad. Chef's tip: let it rest for at least 30 minutes after baking; cut hot, it slumps, but rested it slices into clean layers.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the meat sauce
For the pasta
For the béchamel
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions for 8 minutes until soft. Add 3 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
9 minStep 2: Turn the heat up, add the 1 ¾ lb beef mince and fry for 8–10 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the liquid has evaporated.
10 minStep 3: Stir in 2 tbsp tomato purée, then 1 ¾ cups passata, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground allspice, 1 bay leaf, 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until thick, not watery. Remove the bay.
30 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (fan 325°F). Cook the 1 ⅛ lb pastitsio pasta or bucatini in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet says, drain and toss with the 1 egg white and 2 ⅞ oz kefalotyri or pecorino; this helps the pasta layer hold together.
12 minStep 5: For the béchamel, melt 3 ½ oz butter over a medium heat, stir in 3 ½ oz plain flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm 5 cups whole milk a ladle at a time, then cook, whisking, for 8 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon heavily. Off the heat add ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, the 3 egg yolks one at a time and 2 ⅛ oz kefalotyri or pecorino.
12 minStep 6: In a 23 × 33 cm dish, lay half the pasta lengthways, spread all the meat sauce over, then the rest of the pasta. Pour the béchamel on top and smooth it. A common mistake is a thin béchamel layer; it should be at least 3 cm deep.
5 minStep 7: Bake for 45–50 minutes until deep golden on top and bubbling at the edges. The centre should be piping hot (above 167°F).
50 minStep 8: Rest for 30 minutes before cutting into squares. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat until hot all the way through.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pastitsio take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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