Greek Pastitsio Traditional Recipe

An Italian-inspired Greek mama’s food, based on pasta, minced meat and creamy bechamel.

An all-time favorite for the kids, pastitsio might seem complicated, but if you follow our step by step instructions you’ll see how easy it actually is!

Greek Pastitsio

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Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 8

Calories 450 kcal

Equipment

• sauce pan
• Oven pan

Ingredients

  

For the ground meat sauce

• 800 gr minced beef (or 1.7 lb)
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1 quill of cinnamon
• 1 Bay leaf
• 400 gr chopped tomatoes canned or fresh (or 0.8 lb)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

For the bechamel sauce

• 100 gr butter (or 0.22 lb)
• 100 gr flour (or 0.22 lb)
• 1 lt of milk
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pastitsio

• 500 gr Bucatini or any other tubular pasta i.e. penne (or 1.1 lb)
• 100 gr kasseri or graviera or parmesan cheese (or 0.22 lb)
• ground meat sauce recipe follows
• Bechamel Sauce recipe follows

Instructions

 

For the ground meat sauce

• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add the minced beef and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it’s no longer pink. Add the garlic,
• Add the garlic, cinnamon quill, bay leaf and continue cooking over medium heat for 5-8 more minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes.
• Set aside and remove the quill of cinnamon & bay leaf.

For the bechamel sauce:

• Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and whisk the mixture constantly for about 2 minutes.
• Pour the warm milk in the mixture in small portions, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth.
• Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper after removing the bechamel from the fire.

For the pastitsio:

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente.
• Don’t over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.
• In a large baking dish add the pasta in the bottom, adding over it a layer of the minced meat sauce.
• Finally, spread the bechamel evenly to cover everything and sprinkle with the cheese.
• Bake for about 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.