Pastitsio
Pastitsio is a traditional Greek dish that is often described as a baked pasta casserole. It consists of layers of macaroni pasta, a rich meat sauce (usually made with ground beef or lamb, tomatoes, onions, and spices), and a creamy béchamel sauce topped with cheese. The dish is similar to Italian lasagna but uses pasta shapes like tubular macaroni instead of flat sheets.
I suppose this could be called the comfort food of Greek cooking. Pastitsio uses a béchamel sauce, one of the five mother sauces. My sister and I absolutely love this, and we used to make it when we got together. I also eat it at the St. Katherine’s Greek Festival every year.
The components are assembled in a baking dish, with the pasta at the bottom, followed by the meat sauce, and then topped with béchamel before being baked until it is bubbly and golden. Pastitsio is a popular comfort food in Greece and is often served during family gatherings and special occasions.The components are assembled in a baking dish, with the pasta at the bottom, followed by the meat sauce, and then topped with béchamel before being baked until it is bubbly and golden. Pastitsio is a popular comfort food in Greece and is often served during family gatherings and special occasions.
Pastitsio
I suppose this could be called the “comfort food” of Greek cooking. Pastitsio uses a béchamel sauce, one of the five mother sauces. My sister and I absolutely love this, and we used to make it all the time. I also eat it at the St. Katherine’s Greek Festival every year.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Grecian
Ingredients
Macaroni
- 1 pound macaroni
- 1/4 pound butter
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
- 1/2 can tomato paste
- 6 ounces Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
Sauce
- 4 cups warm milk, divided
- 5 eggs
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
Instructions
Macaroni
- Cook macaroni to al dente in boiling, salted water and drain.
- Sauté onion in a little butter.
- Add ground meat and stir until brown.
- Add tomato paste, thinned with a little water.
- Add salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until meat is done.
- Melt butter; pour over drained macaroni, mixing carefully.
- Spread half of the macaroni on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan.
- Sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top.
- Spread entire meat mixture on top.
- Cover with remaining macaroni and remaining grated cheese.
Sauce
- Boil 3 cups of the milk with 1 1/2 sticks butter.
- Add flour to remaining 1 cup milk and blend well.
- Add flour mixture to boiling butter and milk. Thicken and cool.
- After this has cooled, add 5 beaten eggs, or drop small amounts of the milk mixture into the eggs while stirring constantly. Once the egg mixture gets warm to hot, add the remaining milk.
- Pour sauce over the ingredients in the pan. Shake the pan and insert a knife to penetrate thoroughly.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.
Notes
From the kitchen of Kathryn Irene Jolly.
