Pastitsio – Greek pasta bake with meat and béchamel Recipe
Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish made with tube-shaped pasta, aromatic ground meat and a thick layer of creamy béchamel. In Greece it often appears at family gatherings and Sunday lunches, a bit like lasagne for special occasions. It’s a hearty, warming dish that reheats very well and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
Pastitsio is one of the most homey Greek casseroles, often served for Sunday lunches and family gatherings. In both taste and form it’s like a cross between Italian lasagna and Middle Eastern spicing.
This pastitsio combines tender tube pasta, a richly spiced meat sauce and a thick, velvety béchamel layer that bakes into a beautifully golden crust. It’s a true Greek comfort classic that tastes even better the next day and is ideal when you need a reliable, crowd-pleasing main course.
Why this version works
- Cooking the pasta al dente and using a thick meat sauce prevents the casserole from falling apart after baking.
- Eggs in the béchamel create a stable, springy yet still creamy layer once baked.
- Reducing the wine and tomatoes gives a concentrated sauce that doesn’t water down the pasta or the béchamel.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality, not too lean ground meat so the sauce stays juicy and flavorful. Let the meat sauce reduce until it is clearly thicker – if it’s too runny, the pastitsio may fall apart when sliced. When adding eggs to the béchamel, make sure the sauce is hot but not boiling and whisk vigorously so the eggs blend in smoothly instead of scrambling.
How to serve
Serve generous squares of pastitsio with a fresh Greek-style salad and, if you like, a spoonful of thick yogurt or tzatziki on the side. A glass of dry red wine pairs very well with the aromatic meat sauce and cinnamon notes.
Watch out for
- Don’t add the eggs to boiling-hot béchamel – the sauce has to cool slightly first, otherwise the eggs will scramble and form lumps.
- Don’t cut the hot casserole right after taking it out of the oven, because the layers will run and it will be hard to get neat portions.
Substitutions
- You can replace the red wine with beef or vegetable stock if you don’t use alcohol.
- Instead of classic yellow cheese, use a mix of gouda and Parmesan for a more pronounced flavor.
Ingredients
- pasta (tube-shaped, e.g. penne or ziti) - 400 g
- ground meat - 500 g
- onion large - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 cloves
- canned tomatoes - 400 g
- tomato paste - 1 tablespoon
- red wine - 100 ml
- cinnamon ground - 0.25 teaspoons
- bay leaf - 2 pieces
- yellow cheese for grating - 120 g
- butter - 70 g
- wheat flour - 70 g
- milk - 800 ml
- egg - 2 pieces
- olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- nutmeg freshly grated - 0.25 teaspoons
Preparation
- Cook the pasta in a large amount of well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the time given on the package so it’s distinctly al dente. Drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil so it doesn’t stick together.
- Finely chop the onion and press the garlic through a garlic press. Grate the yellow cheese on the fine side of a grater and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5–7 minutes, until it softens and turns lightly golden on the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant.
- Add the ground meat, break it up with a spoon and fry for 7–8 minutes, until it changes color completely and is browned in spots – no pink bits should remain. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the red wine, stir and cook for 2–3 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the smell of alcohol is no longer noticeable. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves and cinnamon, then stir.
- Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes uncovered, until it clearly thickens – it should be thicker than a classic pasta sauce and slowly run off the spoon. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk vigorously for 1–2 minutes, until you get a smooth, pale paste that foams slightly but does not brown.
- Gradually pour in the milk, whisking constantly so no lumps form. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring along the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is smooth and as thick as heavy cream. Take off the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Set the béchamel aside for about 5 minutes so it cools slightly – it should be hot but not boiling. Vigorously whisk in the beaten eggs until the sauce is uniform, glossy and noticeably thick.
- Lightly grease a baking dish about 30×20 cm. Spread half of the pasta over the bottom and level it. Distribute all the meat sauce evenly on top, pressing it down lightly, then cover with the remaining pasta.
- Pour the béchamel over the top, spread it in an even layer all the way to the edges of the dish and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Gently shake the dish so the sauce seeps into the gaps between the pasta.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is golden, slightly browned in spots around the edges and the sides are gently bubbling. Before cutting, let it stand for at least 20 minutes so the layers can set.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
Pastitsio always reminds me of long, lazy Sunday lunches – it’s one of those dishes that fills the whole house with a warm, inviting aroma. I like to bake it a bit in advance and let it rest, because the flavors meld and the portions cut more neatly.
