Pastitsio Creamy Dish (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Meat Sauce
01 -
2 1/2 pounds of ground meat—beef, pork, or lamb—or a mix
02 -
3 tablespoons of either vegetable or olive oil
03 -
1 large carrot, finely shredded
04 -
1 onion, finely diced or grated
05 -
1 whole cinnamon stick
06 -
2 dried bay leaves
07 -
A pinch of ground cloves (about 1/4 teaspoon)
08 -
One cup of either dry rosé, white, or red wine
09 -
A quarter cup of tomato paste
10 -
2 cups of crushed or puréed tomatoes, canned or freshly made
11 -
Add black pepper and salt as you like
→ Pasta
12 -
One and a half cups of grated cheeses (combo of feta-style Kefalotyri and Parmesan)
13 -
A pound of Pastitsio Pasta No2
→ Béchamel Sauce
14 -
Half a cup of butter or olive oil
15 -
One-third of a nutmeg seed, freshly grated
16 -
6 cups of full-fat milk
17 -
1.2 cups of plain white flour
18 -
1 ½ teaspoons of finely ground salt
19 -
A mix of 1.5 cups of grated Parmesan and Kefalotyri cheeses
20 -
2 large eggs
# Instructions:
01 -
Warm the oil in a deep pot, then add the ground meat and cook over high heat until browned. Turn heat to medium and stir in the grated carrot, onion, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. After 5 minutes, stir in wine and let it cook for a minute. Add puréed tomatoes and tomato paste, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves before setting aside.
02 -
Boil a large pot of salted water and cook pasta until slightly firm (2-3 minutes less than the box says). Quickly rinse with cold water, drain, and toss two-thirds of it into an oiled casserole dish. Scatter grated cheese over the top evenly.
03 -
Spread the meat mixture over the pasta layer, smoothing out the surface. Add the rest of the pasta on top, spreading it out evenly.
04 -
Heat oil and flour in a big pot over medium-high heat, whisking non-stop until it smells toasty. Move the pot off the heat, whisk in milk bit by bit to avoid clumps, then put it back and whisk until it thickens. Let it cool slightly, then stir in nutmeg, salt, and cheese. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each.
05 -
Turn oven to 355°F (180°C). Pour béchamel sauce over the pasta, spread it with a spatula, and add the rest of the grated cheese on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until golden. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
# Notes:
01 -
Pop in a bouillon cube (chicken or beef) to make the sauce extra savory, but hold back on extra salt.
02 -
Don’t let the meat sauce stay too watery or the dish won’t hold together when served.
03 -
Can’t find Pastitsio pasta? Try tube-shaped options like bucatini or penne.